Unconditional Love
by hilandmum
Summary: Chase has brought House a new patient who brings back the past. Nine-year-old Gretchen is the spitting image of her mother, but she has some of her father in her too. Futuristic/AU story written 5-6 years ago
1. Chapter 1

**This wasn't my first long House/Cameron story, but it's one of my favorites. I've been encouraged to post this here.**

**It was written during Seasons three and four, and takes place ten years after that – completely AU from the show after season three.**

**It's quite long, and there are two long sequels as well as a shorter story between the second and third, so I'll be posting two chapters at a time and rather frequently – otherwise I'll still be posting all of the series two years from now.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**CHAPTER 1. THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE**

Dr. Robert Chase had been head of the ER at Princeton Plainsboro

Teaching Hospital for four years. In that time he'd rarely brought

any patients to the Department of Diagnostic Medicine. This was

going to be one of those times.

"House, you've got to see one of my ER patients," Chase insisted,

slapping a file on Gregory House's desk.

"Why, does she have two heads or something?" House asked

"Well, no," Chase replied.

"Unusual symptoms?"

"Yes." Chase was back on solid ground. "I've already transferred

her to your department and sent her files electronically. But you've

got to SEE her," he again insisted.

"What are the symptoms?"

"Nine-year-old girl, accident victim," Chase recited. "A van carrying

kids from a music camp in the Poconos was broadsided. The other kids

escaped with only minor cuts and bruises."

"She needs an orthopedist," House proclaimed.

"I haven't finished," an exasperated Chase went on. "She has a

concussion, but no broken bones. The odd thing is that she's running

a fever of 103 degrees."

"So she has an infection. Fill her full of a broad-spectrum

antibiotic and send her home." After a pause to think House added

"Guess you can wait until she wakes up." He turned back to his

gamephone.

"House we tested for all sorts of viral and bacterial infections. All

the tests were negative."

"OK, I'll have my guys look at her, since your guys obviously missed

something. Now go away, can't you see I'm busy?"

"But..." Chase's pager went off and he gave up in defeat. Either

House would look in on the patient or he wouldn't. Getting House to

see a patient was a lost cause, but he'd be sorry he didn't see this

one.

Leslie Sullivan, a cardiologist and a member of House's staff,

entered his office. House gave her the file and said "Our latest

patient. Check what tests they did in the ER, do any they missed, and

then do the ones they did again."

She looked at the file and then at a post-it note on the inside cover.

"There's a note here to contact the girl's mother. The camp counselor

who brought her in called, but she wanted to speak to the doctor

in charge of Gretchen's case." She looked at House, about to tell him

that he should really make the call, but then thought better of it.

She picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello, this is Dr. Leslie

Sullivan calling from Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. May I

speak to Dr. Fowler about her daughter?" She listened and then said

"OK, Dr. Cameron then." She was silent for two minutes but didn't

notice House turn towards her, suddenly alert.

"Hello, Dr. Cameron? This is Leslie Sullivan and I'm taking care of

your daughter Gretchen." She listened and then said "Yes, the

Department of Diagnostic Medicine." A pause. "She's here because

she's in a coma but she's also running a fever." Another pause. "Then

we'll see you when you arrive." She hung up.

"The mother is a doctor at a children's hospital in Albany. She's

driving down, should be here in about four hours." Sullivan left to

see the girl and order some tests, still not noticing the stunned

look on House's face.

A half hour later House forced himself to get up and limp to the

patient's room. He stood outside looking through the glass watching

his staff insert sampling and analysis devices and attach

nanoprobes to run tests on the little girl. He didn't go in but his eyes were fixed on the face of the child, so like a face he once knew. As he stared at her he thought back to her mother's departure almost ten years before.

He didn't notice Wilson's approach until the oncologist was standing

right next to him, looking in.

"A hundred bucks that when she opens those eyes, they're blue," House

said without looking at his friend.

Wilson looked at the child and then back at House as the coin dropped.

"House, you dog, you didn't!"

"Her last night here. I did the math. Has to be."

"She never told you?"

"Haven't heard from her since."

"And you didn't try to contact her either."

"I had nothing to tell."

Wilson's pager went off and he left, but the look he gave House said

'we're not done talking about this.'

**CHAPTER 2. GETTING TO KNOW YOU**

Once his staff had left to process their test results, House finally

entered the room. He stood close to the bed, continuing to stare at

the girl. Her eyes began to flutter, then opened. Yes, definitely blue.

She tried to speak "Whhhere aamm I? Whhhat happened?"

"You're in the diagnostics unit of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching

Hospital. You were in an accident."

She looked up at him. A sense of recognition, followed by doubt.

"What do you remember?" he asked.

"We were in a van on our way to Washington." She stopped. "Was anyone

else hurt?"

'Definitely Cameron's daughter,' he thought but said "No, nothing

serious. They've all been discharged." He wasn't sure

what to say to her. "Um, your mother's on her way."

"Oh!" She stared at him a little longer, then looked at the cane.

"She told me about you, you know."

House wasn't sure what he felt. Finally he was able to ask "What did

she say?" And why did his throat feel so constricted?

"That you were the bestest doctor in the whole wide world" she smiled

at him. "Of course, I was only six at the time."

"Six, huh?"

"Yeah, that was after Chuck left."

"Chuck." He frowned.

"Chuck Fowler. He married Mom when I was three."

Ever curious, House asked "What was he like?"

"OK, I guess" Gretchen said tentatively, then more firmly "Boooring

but OK." She smirked.

House had to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"You have your mother's way of smirking. So, Chick left when

you were six" he prompted her to go on.

"Chuck" she corrected him automatically. "Uh-huh" she said, nodding

emphatically. "He got a job at a hospital in Boston without telling

Mom and me and he thought that we'd just go with him. But

we didn't." She was getting tired, her voice fading a little, but

she went on "He wasn't much of a father."

"You use his name."

She shrugged her small shoulders. "Mom was married to him when I

started school and they used that name when I registered."

House curiosity got the better of him. "Why did your Mom tell you

about me when this Chuck left?"

"I guess because I said I'd like a real Dad someday." She looked at

him expectantly, then went on "She said she'd bring me to meet you

when I was ten. That's next June."

His eyebrows went up as he added this bit of information to the

new Gretchen file in his head. "You said that was the first time?"

She laughed. "When you get to know me, you'll find out I'm very

curious. Every once in a while I asked about you. And when I started

playing the piano? She told me you played too."

House suddenly realized that he was grinning at her. He didn't grin.

But try as he might, he couldn't shake the feelings she was stirring

in him. "What else do you play?" he asked.

"Violin, but I don't like it as much. And at camp, I was just

starting to play the cello" she smiled. "I like that waaay better."

'What an amazing child' he thought. He still couldn't quite believe

she was his. He lifted one of her hands and examined the fingers.

Long and strong like his. Was she tall? He couldn't tell. He wasn't

really sure how tall nine-year-olds should be.

"Do you like camp?" he asked.

"Yeah" she was grinning now. "We have music lessons and orchestra

practice but we also go swimming and do sports."

'She's athletic too?' he wondered. "What's your favorite sport?"

"I love soccer, but everyone always wants me to play basketball

because I'm so tall," she said. She'd answered several of his

questions at once.

Sullivan brought in the preliminary results of the blood panels.

She smiled, seeing that the child was awake. "Everything's within

normal limits," she reported. "Of course, the white blood cell count

is on the high side, indicating an infection, but we already

suspected that. We just haven't found it yet."

"She's not responding to the broad spectrum antibiotic," House told

her.

"Maybe the other tests will show something," Sullivan suggested.

But House wasn't satisfied. "Check for parasites, ticks, anything

else a child might pick up in the woods."

He left her to do the tests while he went back to his office to do

some research, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from

Gretchen for long.


	2. Chapters 3 and 4

**CHAPTER 3. EVERY NEW BEGINNING COMES FROM SOME OTHER BEGINNING'S END**

Allison Cameron drove down the New York Thruway, her first trip

back to New Jersey in ten years. Her daughter, the light of her life,

lay in a bed at PPTH in a coma and running a fever, and nothing was

going to keep her away.

She'd thought about her last night at that hospital more times than

she'd ever admit. But it was the past. And now she was on her way to

confront that past and wasn't sure what to expect.

_The party was over. Literally. She walked back to her office carrying_

_her going-away gifts, still trying to convince herself that leaving_

_was the right thing to do. She ticked off the list of reasons in her_

_head: her fellowship was almost over, she'd have more opportunities at_

_another hospital, she could be more useful somewhere else, she could_

_start over, make new friends, and build a new life for herself._

_She wasn't running away, despite what House had said when she'd asked_

_him for a letter of recommendation. He'd had her write it herself and_

_then signed it without reading it._

_If she were the type to run, she would have left months before. But she_

_had to be honest with herself, she had to include the real reason she_

_was going. Her relationships with her colleagues had become weird,_

_even intolerable. Yes, the rift between Foreman and her had been slowly_

_narrowing, but deep down she still couldn't forgive him for stealing_

_her paper and even worse for insisting they weren't friends. And she_

_still felt guilty for any damage she'd done to his brain. Then there_

_was her relationship with Chase. Things hadn't been the same between_

_them since she'd slept with him. She still cringed and blamed herself_

_for that one too._

_And if she lived to be a hundred, she knew she'd never figure out what_

_her relationship was with House, or even if he cared about her as_

_anything more than a pretty possession. At the time, no matter what_

_she told him or anyone else for that matter, she hadn't been over him._

_Maybe she still wasn't._

_Both Chase and Foreman had been at her going-away party. They'd even_

_hugged her and wished her well, told her to come back for a visit, said_

_they'd visit her._

_She hadn't expected House to be there, but she'd still been very_

_disappointed when he didn't show. That stung._

_She reached her office and looked around. She put the gifts she'd_

_gotten at the party and the last personal items into a large box on_

_her desk and carried it out to her car, never looking back to the_

_place that had really been her home for the past two years. She stowed_

_the box in her trunk for her trip north the next day and drove to her_

_apartment._

_Walking into the apartment, stopped to stare at more boxes. Just about_

_everything was packed for the movers to take in the morning. She tossed_

_her keys onto the counter and reached into the almost empty_

_refrigerator for a bottle of water._

_She sat down on the couch, shoving over the box of CD's she'd packed_

_the night before. Caught up in her confused thoughts, she'd been_

_brought back to reality by a 'tap, tap, tap' at her door. She couldn't_

_enumerate all the emotions she felt as she walked to the door to open_

_it, running the gamut from anger to apprehension to hope._

_House stood in the doorway, a wrapped package in his hand. "Sorry I_

_couldn't make it to your party. The hooker was having way too much fun_

_and I didn't want to leave her."_

_She stood facing him with her arms crossed against her chest and a_

_smirk on her face, but didn't say a word._

_"Guess you didn't buy that, huh?" he said frowning. "Anyway, I got you_

_a going-away present." He shoved it at her. "Open it" he urged._

_She examined the package, shaking it, then looking for a seam in the_

_pretty wrapping paper._

_"Aw, just rip it!" he said._

_"You took the time to wrap it, so I'll take the time to open it" she_

_insisted. Finally she found where the paper was taped and carefully_

_opened it. Inside was a small whiteboard and a package of dry-erase_

_markers. She smiled. "My very own board and markers! How can I ever_

_thank you?" she asked facetiously, but she couldn't help smiling. "I_

_guess you can come in." She held the door open wider and stepped back_

_so he could limp past her into the living room. She hugged his gift to_

_herself and then stuffed it into one of the open boxes._

_"The last time you were here, it was to convince me to come back," she_

_said, then mentally kicked herself for even bringing that up._

_"Yeah, well, not why I'm here," he said._

_They stood there and stared at each other for a while. She wondered_

_'Is he going to torture me up till the last minute?' She shook her_

_head to clear it and asked automatically, "Can I get you anything?",_

_then realized there wasn't much left to get him._

_"Nah, I just...um...wanted to say 'Good-Bye'," he said. He moved closer_

_to her, reached his hand out and cupped her chin. His blue eyes looked_

_deeply into her greenish-blue ones, then he seemed to come to a decision. He_

_pressed a sweet, chaste kiss to her lips._

_Without hesitation, without any thought to the consequences, she let_

_her arm fly up and around his neck, and she kissed him back._

_Suddenly, all the passion and longing he'd been able to suppress for_

_two years surfaced. He dropped the cane and held her tightly. When he_

_finally let go, without taking his eyes off of hers, he began to_

_unbutton her vest as she reached up to open his shirt. He started_

_to move towards the couch, but she shook her head, handed him his cane,_

_and taken his other hand in her smaller one to lead him to the bedroom_

_for a night she'd never forgotten._

But she was now a different person from that pathetic, needy young

woman. She was a mother and the head of the Infectious Disease

Department at her hospital, she had her own home and a circle of close

friends. As she approached the familiar buildings of PPTH, she did so

with some trepidation, but also with some self-confidence, ready to

deal with whatever she found.

**CHAPTER 4. DOCTOR, DOCTOR, GIVE ME THE NEWS**

She stood outside the room watching them. The smiles on their faces,

even occasional laughter, touched her heart. She didn't remember ever

hearing him laugh. But she dreaded what he might say or do when he

saw her. Slowly, hesitantly she slid the door open.

Gretchen broke off in mid-sentence with an excited, "Mom!"

Cameron stood up a little straighter, pushing her shoulders back as

she walked to her daughter's side,ignoring House's eyes following

her. She hugged the child and said "You're awake", then winced that

she'd said the obvious.

"They said you were coming," Gretchen said, clinging to her mother.

"Nothing would keep me away." Reluctantly, Cameron turned to House and

asked "Have you found out why she's running a fever?"

He'd been studying her. Her appearance hadn't changed much, maybe a

little older but, if anything, more beautiful than ever. He stared

into her eyes, then said, "Not yet. All the tox screens were

negative and she's not responding to any of the antibiotics we've

tried." Would she demand to take the child away, now that he'd met

her? "You know we won't stop until we find out what's wrong?"

"Of course." A brief smile crossed her lips as she reassured him.

"You're still the best."

He looked at her once more, then started to leave. "I'm gonna see what

else my staff have found."

"Dad?" They both jumped when Gretchen said that. "You'll come back

later to talk to me, won't you?" the girl pleaded.

He smiled at her. "Sure, kiddo."

"House, I want to sit in on the differential," Cameron said emphatically

before he could move a way.

"You don't have practicing privileges here anymore, AND you're the

patient's mother," he answered, just as adamantly.

She didn't have to respond. Her eyes said 'and you're her father.'

"I don't expect to treat her, just sit in. Besides," she added "I've

got her medical records with me." She pulled a disc from her purse.

"OK." He finally made it to the door. "Fifteen minutes. You know where

we'll be."

Two pairs of eyes watched him limp away. Gretchen was the first to

speak. "He's just like you said he'd be! Totally outrageous!"

"By that, I guess you like him?" her mother asked, smiling.

"Much more than I thought I would," Gretchen answered.

Cameron began to adjust her blankets and pillow to mask her mixed

emotions. She really wasn't ready for this. She'd planned on having

almost one more year. Funny how life happened.

"Mom, don't fuss," Gretchen demanded.

"OK. But is there anything I can get you?"

"Maybe some water. I'm a little thirsty."

"Sure, sweetheart," Cameron said. She brought over a cup of water.

Gretchen drank it all. "I really, really like him," she muttered as

she drifted off to sleep.

Cameron found House's current ducklings sitting around a new conference

table and House, as always, writing on the whiteboard. Only it was

different from the whiteboard she'd known, not unlike the ones used at

the hospital in Albany. You could print out what was written on it,

and even save it to the computer file for the patient.

It was strange to see what he'd written and realize these were her

daughter's symptoms.

A short, stocky brunette rose when she entered. "Dr. Cameron? I'm

Leslie Sullivan. We spoke on the phone."

Cameron smiled at the young woman. "Thanks for calling me."

"People, we're doing a differential diagnosis here, not a meet and

greet."

Sullivan looked chastised, but Cameron said pointedly, "As the patient's

mother, I'd like to meet the doctors who are actually working on her

case, emphasis on the word 'working'."

"Oh, ho! Very nice comeback, Cameron. Now sit and listen. Remember,

you're the 'rent here, not the doctor."

She noticed he hadn't introduced the other two doctors, so she held

out her hand to the small Asian woman sitting next to Sullivan.

"I'm Allison Cameron," she said. The young doctor said, "Hong Yen",

but watched House's reaction, and seemed afraid to say more.

Cameron addressed the other doctor, a good-looking man. "I'm Gretchen's

mother, Dr. Cameron". He also seemed reluctant to shake her hand

because of House's earlier rebuke. "Dr. Benjamin Sheffield," he

announced.

"NOW, can we get on with this?" House stared at each of them in turn.

"What else have we got?"

"It appears to be viral," Yen said.

House nodded and noted that on the board.

"I recently had two cases of a new type of viral flu," Cameron suggested

but then decided she'd been pushing it.

House surprised her by responding. "The Brazilian flu?"

"Yes" she said. She wasn't surprised that he knew about this newly

discovered strain, just that he'd listened to what she'd said.

He nodded. "I've been researching that online."

"One of the indicators we found was that the platelets become

elongated," she told him.

"Huh?" Sheffield asked.

"Did you look at the blood, or just run it through the analyzers?"

Cameron asked him. House smiled at the exchange.

"Microscope time boy and girls," House said.

"I'll go," Yen said as she jumped up and headed for the lab.

"How did you treat your cases?" House asked Cameron.

"The new antibiotic, acofloxacin, seemed to work even though it was

a viral infection, rather than bacterial," she reported.

"The last article I read recommended that or kanamycin."

"You're the doctor," she reminded him. "I'm just the mother."

He stared at her a minute before turning to Sheffield. "Start her on

acofloxacin," House ordered and Sheffield left the room.

"Give Sullivan the disk with Gretchen's records," House told Cameron,

then promptly turned and walked into his office.


	3. Chapters 5 and 6

**CHAPTER 5. TELL ME WHY**

Cameron followed Sullivan to her desk. "I can verbally give you the

highlights, but the disk is more complete," she said.

Sullivan inserted the small disk into her computer, saved it locally, and

linked the file to Gretchen's file at PPTH. Only then did she begin to

read. It was a fairly straightforward history: the usual childhood

vaccinations, an allergy screen showing hay fever, and a broken arm at age

eight.

Watching over her shoulder, Cameron commented "She broke her arm playing

soccer." She began to look around, then glanced through the glass into

House's office. He was playing with a yo-yo.

Sullivan saw where she was looking and rushed to defend her boss. "He says

that helps him think."

Cameron smiled at her. "Yeah, I know." But seeing the puzzled look on

Sullivan's face, she explained further. "You're using what used to be my desk, a long time ago."

Something seemed to click for Sullivan. "You were the third Fellow with

Drs. Foreman and Chase, weren't you?"

"Yes"

"House is always telling us we'll never be as good as you three."

Cameron chuckled. "Well, he never told us how good he thought we were."

But she was really thinking about something else. 'Now or never' she told

herself. There was something she had to do. She stood as tall as she could

and marched into House's office.

"I could start by saying something cliché like 'we have to talk' or 'I

can explain'," she began.

He stopped the action of the yo-yo, caught it and held it. "Nothing to

explain," he said. "You did the right thing."

Cameron couldn't figure out where he was going with this approach. She'd

expected him to blow her head off, or make sarcastic and nasty comments.

"You're right, I did," she agreed, "and I'm not about to make excuses. I'm

just curious - what reason do you think I had?"

"I would've made a lousy father," he said. "What could I teach a kid other

than to avoid work and play with a yo-yo."

"I'm beginning to disagree with you on that after seeing you with Gretchen,"

she said. He seemed surprised, so she went on. Maybe she should explain it

all. "House, when I was growing up my father continuously pushed me away.

The more I wanted him to love me for who I was, the more he pushed. And he

never let me love him."

She paused to make sure he realized where she was going with this. "You

push people away, too, especially the ones who care about you the most.

You don't let them in. I didn't want my child to go through that hurtful

experience."

"So you thought it was better that she didn't have any father," House said.

"And at some point you thought she needed a substitute so you married that

Chick person."

"Gretchen told you about that, didn't she? It was the biggest mistake I

made," she said, frowning, not even correcting him on the name.

After a minute he broke the silence. "Why ten?"

"What?"

"Why did you tell Gretchen that you'd bring her to meet me when she was

ten?" he elaborated.

"She told you about that too?" Her frown disappeared. "I guess I thought

she'd be strong enough emotionally and know enough about you by then that

she couldn't be hurt as much."

"I'd never hurt her."

"You say that now. You're fascinated by her, intrigued by the idea that you

have a daughter, but what happens when it's no longer so new?" she

asked.

Very quietly he said, "I'll still love her."

**CHAPTER 6. MY GIRL, TALKING 'BOUT MY GIRL**

Gretchen responded to the antibiotic that Cameron had recommended. By

the next morning her fever was gone and her appetite had returned.

Cameron was kidding her about how much she was eating when House

entered.

"Good to see someone with as big an appetite as mine," he quipped.

"Morning, Dad," she responded and smiled at him.

"Have you reported this case to the CDC?" Cameron asked.

"Not yet." House realized that he should, since this was a

new strain that they were probably tracking.

"I called Gretchen's music camp this morning to let them know how she

was doing and to warn them to look out for other cases," she said.

"That's good." But he was distracted watching Gretchen down her

pancakes and eggs. There was so much he didn't know about her.

"Feeling better?" he asked the girl.

"Heaps! And I was soooo hungry!" she exclaimed.

Later, he returned with Wilson in tow. Cameron had gone off to fill

out some insurance forms on the hospital computers.

"Hey, kiddo," House said.

"Hi" Gretchen said, obviously glad to see him again.

"This is your Uncle Jimmy," he indicated Wilson.

"Hi Gretchen," Wilson said.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." She certainly had good manners. "Mom

told me about you too."

"Oh? What did she say?" Wilson asked.

"That you're an Oncologist. That's a cancer doctor, right?" She saw

his affirming nod and went on "And that you're Dad's best friend."

"Dad, huh?" Wilson looked pointedly at House. He was amazed to see a

grin on his friend's face.

Gretchen trained her blue eyes, so like her father's, on his friend.

"Uncle Jimmy, do you have kids?"

"As a matter of fact I do. A boy, Tommy. He's a few months younger

than you."

"Can I meet him?" she asked.

"Sure, once you get out of the hospital," Wilson told her.

"You'll probably be going back to Albany when we release you," House

said, his grin fading.

"Do we have to?" Gretchen asked.

He shrugged "You'll have to ask your mother." He was beginning to

realize how little say he had about her life.

None of them noticed Cameron standing in the doorway, listening to

this exchange. None of them saw her slip away.

By that afternoon, Cameron had come to a decision. She wasn't sure

if House would go along with it, but first she wanted to talk to

Gretchen.

The girl was finishing her lunch and talking animatedly with Yen,

but stopped and smiled broadly when she saw her mother.

"Mom, did you hear? I can go home tomorrow!"

"I know. Isn't that great?" Cameron replied.

Yen left them alone.

"Gretchen, I've been thinking. First, I need to know. Did you want to

go back to camp?"

Gretchen had completely forgotten about camp. "There's only

a week left, isn't there? And I missed so much I don't think I could

catch up with the orchestra pieces."

"I take it that's a no," Cameron said. "The other options are to

come home with me or stay here with your Dad. I don't want to get

your hopes up that he'll..." She didn't want the girl to feel rejected

if House nixed the idea, "he'll be able to take care of you. He's a

very busy doctor."

Gretchen chuckled "Yeah, very busy!" She already knew how he tried to

get away with doing as little as he could. "You're waaay busier and

you have time to take care of me."

"Well, mostly you take care of yourself, I guess. And I've got other

people to help me. Besides, at home you usually have all sorts of

activities."

"I think he'll say yes," the girl stated. "In fact, I'll bet you five

dollars that he will!"

"You really are your father's child," Cameron shook her head but

smiled. She wouldn't want her to be any other way.

"Plotting against me, ladies?" House asked as he entered.

"Ooops, caught us," Gretchen said, with a serious frown, then spoiled

the effect by laughing.

"We were just speculating about the possibility that Gretchen could

stay with you for a while. I'll have to leave tomorrow, but I'll come

get her when you get tired of her.."

"Mom!" Gretchen glared at her mother.

House just stared at Cameron. He'd never expected that she'd leave

the girl with him.

"Please, please, please Dad!" Gretchen begged. "It'd be so very

outrageous!"

He couldn't refuse if he wanted to, but he realized he didn't want

to refuse.

"School starts in three weeks," Cameron went on. It sounded like she'd

thought this through completely. "I could come back for her in two

weeks so we have time to get her ready for school."

"Dad?" Gretchen prompted.

He realized they were waiting for him to say something. Could he do

this? How would it affect his life to have a nine-year-old hanging

around, depending on him? What would he do with her?

"You're not gonna go all girly on me, are you?" he asked, scrunching

up his face in distaste.

"Dad!" she warned him. "I'm a girl and I'll 'go all girly' anytime I

want to!"

"She's got you there, House," Cameron said, trying unsuccessfully to

hold in her laughter.

"Two weeks?" He still wasn't sure about this, but at least he'd have

more time with her.

"Two weeks," Cameron and Gretchen said, simultaneously.


	4. Chapters 7 and 8

Sorry, I had intended to post this last night. I had to laugh myself at the title of Chapter 8. Who knew what JMo would be doing now?

**Chapter 7. WE'VE GOT TONIGHT**

After Gretchen was released from the hospital, she and her mother

stopped at Kohl's to pick up some clothes for Gretchen to use while

she was staying in New Jersey. Cameron had to admit to herself that

she'd do anything to delay parting from her daughter. She'd never

had a problem sending her to camp for a month, so why was she so

reluctant to leave her with House? She knew it was the right thing

to do. He deserved some time with the child, and Gretchen needed

time with him. Finally, she couldn't delay it any longer and they

drove to House's building.

He came to the door as soon as Gretchen began to knock, as if he

had been waiting.

"Hi, Dad." Gretchen practically bounced into the apartment, then

stopped and looked around, moving automatically to the piano. House's

eyes followed her.

To Cameron, the place had barely changed since the few times she'd

been there in the past. She handed the bags of clothing to House.

"These are for Gretchen for the next two weeks".

He just nodded his head as he took them and tossed them onto

the couch.

"Um, I've gotta leave so I don't arrive home too late," Cameron said.

"Oh, Mom! Do you have to go so soon?" Gretchen pleaded.

Cameron smiled at her. "You be good for your Dad. Keep each other

out of too much mischief."

"Call when you get there," House said, then realized what that implied

and added, "I mean, so Gretchen doesn't worry whether you arrived

safely."

"Oh, sure," Cameron agreed seriously, but as she left she smiled to

herself.

Once she was gone, House looked at the girl. "Well, kiddo, guess

it's just you and me now". He wondered what he'd let himself in for.

"What say we start by getting something to eat?" He limped off

towards the kitchen.

Gretchen followed, thinking he was going to fix a meal for them and

wondering what she should do if she didn't like what he made. But

instead of opening a cupboard or the refrigerator, he picked up the

kitchen phone and speed-dialed the local pizzeria.

"One large pie with sausage and peppers," she heard him say, then he

paused and turned to her. "Whaddya like on yours?" he asked.

Caught off-guard, she blurted out "mushrooms" then hastily added "or

sausage and peppers".

"And a medium pie ('she couldn't eat a large by herself, could she?'

he wondered) with mushrooms. And a six-pack of beer." He caught the

look of panic in her eyes. "Oh, and a 2-liter coke." He saw her

relax, even smile.

Over the next few hours they ate their pizza (both pies were gone),

Gretchen investigated the kitchen, bathroom and living room, and

they watched one of House's movies. He still had his old DVDs and

a player, so she picked out an oldie but goody, "The Princess Bride".

By nine they were both throwing surreptitious glances at the clock,

trying not to let the other think they were getting anxious to hear

from Cameron. When the phone rang at 9:15, Gretchen beat House to

the phone, saw that it was her mother and visibly relaxed.

"Hi, Mom," she said.

"Hi, Sweetie," Cameron said. "Just wanted to let you know I'm home."

Cameron would never ask, but she'd been anxious to know how the

evening went for her daughter.

"OK, I'll tell Dad. We just finished watching a movie," Gretchen told

her.

"Well, don't stay up too late," Cameron had to say, always the mother.

But it sounded like the child was OK.

"We won't."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"OK. Bye."

"Bye, sweetheart." Cameron didn't want to hang up, but what else

could she say?

House had moved to the piano while Gretchen was on the phone.

"Mom said she got home OK and she'll talk to us tomorrow," Gretchen

told him. She sat down next to him. She seemed very comfortable on

the piano bench. No one else had ever played his piano before, but

maybe it was time for him to share it.

"Why don't you play something for me?" he told the girl.

"OK." She began to play. He was pleased to see that she had

good technique, and at the same time, could get into the music she

was playing. It was a simple piece, but she played it well. When she

was done, he decided they should play something together. She picked

up his instructions quickly. Soon they were playing side-by-side. It was

the perfect ending to their first evening.

The phone rang and Cameron was suddenly awake. She looked at the

LED readout of the caller ID. Oh, no! Had Gretchen had a relapse?

Her heart in her mouth, she grabbed the receiver.

"House, is Gretchen all right?" she gasped.

"Unlax, Cameron. She's fine."

Now she was angry. She'd had a long drive home, and had had a hard

time falling asleep. "You do realize it's two in the morning, don't

you?"

"I...I just wanted to call and thank you."

"House, my brain isn't up to your games at this hour."

"Cameron," he sighed. "I want to thank you for raising the most

outrageous kid in the whole wide world."

Cameron finally smiled. "Her choice of superlatives is rubbing off

on you already."

"Yeah, I guess so." He sighed again. "I'll let you get back to sleep.

We'll talk to you tomorrow - or rather later today."

"Night, House."

"Night, Cameron."

**Chapter 8. HI HO, HI HO, IT'S OFF TO WORK WE GO**

Cameron arrived at her office early Monday morning. She'd kept in

touch with her staff electronically while she was away, but she

wanted to review the files on two new patients and to meet them and

their parents. Unlike House, she liked to spend time with the

children being treated by her staff.

Her secretary, Trudy, was already there and welcomed her with a big

smile. Trudy was a middle-aged woman with grown children. Her round

face framed by uncontrollable curls and her sunny disposition

always cheered Cameron.

"Glad you're back," she said in a voice betraying her New England

upbringing, even though she'd lived in New York for twenty-five

years. "How's Gretchen?"

"She's fine."

"Did she come back with you or go back to camp?" Trudy asked.

"Actually, she stayed in New Jersey with her father."

Cameron's colleagues at the hospital had tactfully never asked about

Gretchen's father, but of course rumors had their way of starting

and spreading. But Trudy was not going to ask. She just waited for

Cameron to elaborate.

"She was brought to the hospital where he works, and the case was

turned over to his department," Cameron began to explain. "Small world."

"That Dr. Sullivan who called, she works with him?"

"For him," Cameron corrected. "The way I did when I was there."

"Did he know about Gretchen?" Somehow Trudy suspected he didn't.

"No."

Trudy nodded her head. "You seemed so apprehensive before you left,

but I chalked it up to worry about Gretchen."

"I didn't know how he'd react when he found out and I didn't know

how to tell him. Turns out my worries were mostly groundless.

By the time I got there, she'd been awake for a couple of hours and

they were chatting away like old friends. And she was already calling

him Dad. They figured it out without me."

"So you just left her with him?" Trudy was a little surprised.

"It was the right thing to do, for both of them. Trudy, if you'd

seen them together. This man, who has a hard time even liking anyone,

who could never love me, is besotted. I think that's the right word

for it." She shook her head. It still amazed her.

Trudy could hear the incredulity in her voice along with a little

wistfulness.

"Are you jealous?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"It's funny," Cameron mused. "I had one jealous thought, that he

could love her but not me, and then I saw how they looked together,

and I was so happy for them, and the thought went flying. I can't

begrudge them that relationship."

Wilson and Foreman were talking near the first floor intake desk

when House and Gretchen arrived at PPTH at 9:30 that morning.

Gretchen didn't hesitate to walk over to them.

"Good morning, Uncle Jimmy," she said, smiling at him.

"Hi, Gretchen," he said.

"Let me guess," Foreman said, staring at the girl. "Cameron's

daughter."

"Amazing, isn't it?" House said with a grin.

"Gretchen, this is..." Wilson began.

She cut him short "I know, Dr. Foreman, right?"

He nodded.

"Your Mom tell you about him too?" Wilson asked.

"Uh-huh. She told me about everyone," Gretchen replied.

"Cameron back in Albany?" Wilson asked House.

"Yes, and I'm stuck with Kvetch for two more weeks," he mockingly

complained.

"Just don't let House talk you into doing his clinic hours," Foreman

warned Gretchen.

"But doctor," she said with a straight face. "I don't have practicing

privileges in this hospital."

The doctors all laughed, even House.

Finally Wilson asked, "So, what will she do here?"

"Well, I may let her write on my whiteboard," he responded, then asked

the girl "You don't make G's with girly loops like your Mom, do you?"

"Dad!" Gretchen rolled her eyes.

Foreman's eyes, on the other hand, practically popped out of his

head. The shock hadn't left his face when House and Gretchen headed

to the elevator, the child trying to match the limping stride of

her father.


	5. Chapters 9 and 10

**Chapter 9. WHAT A DAY THIS HAS BEEN**

House's meeting with his ducklings was short. With Gretchen released,

they no longer had a patient. Instead, she sat at the conference

table with them, acting like she felt right at home. In fact, she'd

decided she wanted to know all about each of them.

When Yen went off to work in the clinic and Sheffield left to run

some tests, the girl followed Sullivan into her office while her father took

the opportunity to retreat to his own office. 

"Dr. Sullivan, do you like working for my dad?" Gretchen asked,

rather bluntly.

"He's a brilliant doctor, very intuitive, and we're all learning a

lot from him," she began. "But he's not always the easiest person to

work for."

"Yeah, that's what Mom said."

"I hope you're not offended, but House, your dad..." she smiled as if the thought that her boss was a father was amusing. "He's not a people person and that's a fact. I hope you'll have a positive influence on him."

They were interrupted by the entrance of a blond doctor. "Leslie, got

a minute?" he began, in his still strong Aussie accent. Then he saw

the girl. "Gretchen?"

"Hi, you must be Dr. Chase," she greeted him with a smile. "Sully told

me you were the one who took care of me in the ER before you sent me

here."

"That's right. I heard you were released."

"Yesterday," she confirmed.

"Is your mother still here?" he asked.

"No, she left last night."

"Gretchen's staying with House for two weeks," Sullivan told him.

He'd looked puzzled to find her there, but now he was downright

confused. "Why?"

"Because!" House said, as he entered. "Don't you have any patients?

Must you spend all your time hitting on one of my doctors?"

"I just got here," Chase said, rather defensively. "I'll talk to you

later, Les. Gretchen, it was nice meeting you."

"Nice to meet you too," Gretchen said, watching him beat a hasty

retreat.

House turned around and went back to his office. Gretchen followed.

"Why'd you chase Chase away?" she asked, then giggled when she

realized how that sounded.

House squinted at her. "He's too old for you."

"You probably won't even let me date until I'm thirty," she said.

"You're nine!" he said.

She just shrugged, but then laughed. She looked around the office,

then asked "Can I use your computer to message my friends?"

He hesitated, but said, "Why not."

She sat down at the computer. It was different than any she'd ever

used, but she soon figured out how to use it and started a message

to her best friend, Emily.

Cameron returned to her office after checking her patients. One of

the new ones had the same flu as Gretchen and she ordered the same

antibiotic. She would notify the CDC. She'd posted her successful

treatment regimen on an online bulletin board, and had heard back

from other doctors who'd also had success. It was much easier to

share information that way. Now, she could report the success they'd

had with Gretchen and that she had still another case.

Her other new patient had completely different symptoms.

Unfortunately the tests were pointing to leukemia. Albany Children's

didn't have a separate diagnostics department like PPTH, so doctors

from different departments often had to collaborate when symptoms

were unclear or contradictory, but that wasn't the case here. She

knew what the problem was.

Cameron's best friend, Clair Palmer, a hematologist, followed her

into her office. "Allison, glad you're back. Have you seen the

Hoffman boy?"

"Jared? Yes, it's leukemia, isn't it?"

"Yes," Clair agreed. "I'd recommend aggressive treatment."

"Yeah, I agree, based on how fast it's progressing."

"So, how's Gretchen?" Clair asked. "Emily's been asking about her."

Gretchen's friend was Clair's daughter and the two mothers and

daughters spent many hours together.

"She's fully recovered, but she had the Brazilian flu. We're seeing

more and more cases of it. Luckily, there seems to be an effective

treatment, but no one knows how it's transmitted," Cameron told her.

"I'd imagine Emily will be getting a message from her today or maybe

more than one. I left her with her father."

Clair's eyes widened. "House?" Clair was the only one that knew

about Gretchen's parentage.

"One and the same. His team treated her."

"So he finally knows? And you're still standing?"

Cameron snickered. "Yes, I'm still in one piece."

"Are you really? Emotionally too?"

"Oh, Clair. you should have seem them. He's so fascinated by her.

He probably regrets not being around her first nine years, but he

agreed I did the right thing." She was still surprised at his

attitude, but she suspected that eventually he'd make her pay.

The picture phone in Cameron's office beeped, and she turned towards

it. She had a call from House's office. She smiled as she hit talk.

"Hi, Mom." Gretchen's smiling face appeared on the screen. "Dad let

me use his picture phone."

"Hi, Sweetie," her mother replied. "Obviously he took you to the

hospital with him today."

"Yeah. We're having a great time. I even got to meet Dr. Foreman and

Dr. Chase."

"Well, if you see them again, tell them I said 'hi'," Cameron said.

"I will," Gretchen agreed. Cameron could see House in the background

and just make out his voice saying 'time for lunch'. "Well, I gotta

go, love you Mom, miss you," Gretchen told her.

"Bye, Gretchen, love you and miss you too."

That night's old movie was 'Independence Day'. When it was over

Gretchen said, "That was great. I mean, it was kinda sad when the

little girl's Mom died. But the boy's Mom and her boyfriend got

married and that other couple got back together and..."

"You some kind of romantic?" House asked, grimacing.

"Maybe."

With an exaggerated sigh he said, "It's time for bed."

"But Daaad! I wanted to play the piano," she pouted, but there was

a playful look in her blue eyes.

"Too late."

Her sigh was even more exaggerated than his had been. "Oh, all right,"

she grumbled as she went off to the bathroom to get ready.

He waited until she was gone before he let himself smile. Score one

for the Dad.

**Chapter 10. MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS**

Lisa Cuddy walked into House's office the next morning with a file

for a new patient, but the only one there was Gretchen.

"Hello, Gretchen. I'm Dr. Cuddy," she introduced herself.

"Yes, I thought so," the girl replied, examining the striking woman's

face and figure.

"Where's House, I mean where's your father?" Cuddy was still having

a hard time picturing House as a dad.

"He's talking to Uncle Jimmy... I mean Dr. Wilson."

Cuddy looked towards Wilson's office. "He's probably getting tips on

being a father." Cuddy smiled. "I looked in on you a couple of times

when you were a patient, but you were asleep both times," she told

the girl.

Gretchen tried to decide if she was trying to impress her or be

friends. "Is that a file for a new patient?" she asked, nodding

towards the file in Cuddy's hand.

"Yes, it is. I guess I'll have to give it to one of House's staff."

"I can take it," Gretchen offered.

Cuddy studied her, then shook her head. "Better not". She saw Sheffield in

the conference room. "Well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again," she

said before she headed in that direction.

"Bye," Gretchen called after her. She went back to messaging Emily.

Then she tried to call her mother, but Cameron wasn't in her office

so she left a message for her mom to call her.

Wilson was indeed trying to give House some pointers on taking care

of a child. "No matter how much you love them, you can't just spoil

them."

"Why not?" House asked. "When else in life can you get everything

you want just by asking?"

"I hope you haven't been giving in to her every whim," Wilson warned.

"Cameron will kill you!"

"Oh, Gretchen's learning the House rules," his friend replied. "There

have been a couple of moments, though, when I wasn't sure how to

enforce them."

"You can always invoke the Divine Right of Parents," Wilson suggested.

"The what?"

"The Divine Right of Parents. When you can't come up with a good

reason for a decision you make or a rule, you can always fall back

on that one. Works every time."

House smiled. "I'll have to remember that." He rolled the phrase

around in his mind and on his tongue. "Sounds a lot more official

than 'because I said so'."

A little while later, House's picture phone beeped. Gretchen saw at

once that it was her mother, so she hit talk.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hello, sweetheart. How're things?"

"Good. But, Mom, the reason I called before?"

"Yes?"

"Could you come here this weekend?"

A frown appeared on Cameron's mouth and brow. "Did you and your Dad

have a fight? Do you want to come home so soon?"

"No! We're having a blast. I just want you to have fun with us."

Cameron had anticipated this, almost feared it. How could she explain

to the child, who was fantasizing that they could be a family?

Well she'd have to squelch that idea before it became so firmly

established that Gretchen wouldn't be able to let it go. If that

hadn't already happened.

"Gretchen, the point was for you and your Dad to spend two weeks

together, just the two of you. I'd only be in the way of you getting

to know each other."

"But Moooom!" Cameron had to smile at the look on Gretchen's face.

She was already picking up some of House's expressions. The child

was just like a sponge, who knew what else she was learning from him.

"Dad wants you to come too," Gretchen tried.

Cameron didn't really believe that. "I'll see you a week from Sunday,"

she said firmly. "Talk to you again."

A resigned "OK". She'd gotten the exaggerated sigh down pat. "Bye,

Mom."

"Bye Gretchen."

Gretchen looked over into the conference room. Her Dad had assembled

his staff to discuss their new patient. She decided to join them,

hoping he wouldn't send her away.

She slipped into the room and sat quietly, watching.

"I didn't know I had a new duckling," House stated. "They seem to be

making them younger and younger these days."

"Dad, you can do better than that," Gretchen said, rolling her eyes.

He took that as a challenge. "I only hire people who can spell

'vasculitis'." He handed her a marker and watched as she stood,

walked to the whiteboard and began to write. He wasn't surprised

when she spelled it correctly. "Well, that earns you the right to,

well, write. See if you can keep up with us, OK."

He erased what she'd written, since it had nothing to do with their

current case, then turned to his three Fellows and said, "And a one,

and a two, and a goooo!"

They rattled off possibilities as fast as they could, but Gretchen

wrote just as fast, and spelled almost all of the diseases and

disorders correctly (she spelled 'sarcoidosis' with a 'k' instead of

a 'c'). House was impressed, and very proud.


	6. Chapters 11 and 12

**Chapter 11. DO YOU REALLY WANT ME?**

That evening House was relieved when Gretchen agreed to go to bed on

time without an argument. They'd had a good evening of Chinese take-

out, playing the piano, and playing video games.

He watched her lovely face relaxed in sleep. He closed his eyes,

took a breath and let it out slowly, then went into his bedroom and

picked up the phone.

"At least you're beginning to call at a decent hour," Cameron said

when she answered. He couldn't see her smile or the way her eyes lit

up when she realized who was calling.

House ignored her comment. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"Did Gretchen ask you to call?" she countered.

"No, why?"

Instead of continuing to ask questions, she answered his last

one. "She asked me to drive down."

"Oh." He assumed she'd said no, and was glad she didn't see the disappointment in his face.

She quickly added, "Not because she isn't happy being

with you, House. She just wants to share."

"Oh! So are you coming?"

She hesitated and he wondered what she was thinking. "No. I told her

that you two needed time together and I wasn't part of the deal.

Her fantasy that we can be a family can't be encouraged."

He was silent for a while. Finally he asked "So, what do you want?

What's your fantasy?"

"Huh?" Cameron sounded unsure why he was asking this.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," he joked.

"House!"

He sighed. "Do you ever think about that night, ya know, that night?" He wished they were on picture phones. He couldn't see her expression and he couldn't even read her thoughts. "I've thought about it, recently more and more." He paused. "It was one of the best times I ever had."

"It was THE best time for me," she replied.

'Good' he thought, 'but what do I say now?. Should I be flip or

serious?'. He went for a compromise "I wouldn't mind some more of

that." He heard her gasp. "What's wrong with a little more pleasure

in our pitiful lives?" he added.

"House!" Now there was panic in her voice.

"Yeah. I guess that's a 'no'. How could I expect you to still want to

be with an old man like me."

"That's not it. It's not about us, not about what you and I want or

need," she said adamantly but there was a quaver in her voice.

"Then what, huh?" he demanded.

She was silent, but he thought through what she'd just said.

"You're still not over me, are you? So it's your own fantasy you

don't want to feed, not Gretchen's."

He could picture her, pressing her lips together the way she used when she didn't want to say anything to give away her emotions.

"Stop grimacing" he said, implying he could read her thoughts.

"We just can't do this," she finally said. "I'll tell you what I told Gretchen. I'll see you a week

from Sunday. Goodnight House."

He heard the click as she disconnected.

Late Friday morning, Clair found her friend staring out her office

window, not really seeing whether it was sunny or raining.

"Allison, what is it? Is the Hoffman boy worse?" she asked.

"No, actually he seems to be holding his own. The drugs we gave him

may actually be helping. Too early to tell for sure. Who would have

thought ten years ago where we'd be in the treatment of leukemia?"

she marveled.

"So, what's bothering you?"

Cameron looked at her friend. She knew she could confide in her.

"Gretchen called yesterday."

"Hasn't she called every day this week?"

"But this time she asked me to join them for the weekend."

"You're going aren't you?" Clair asked gently.

Cameron shook her head. "It wouldn't be right." She paused and looked

at Clair again. "Then House called last night. He also said he wants

me to drive down for the weekend."

"Well, if they both want you, what's the problem?"

"He wants me to come there because he wants me to...to sleep with him

again."

"And?" Clair studied her friend. "Allison, what do you want? You talk

about Gretchen's fantasies, but what would make you happy?"

"House asked that too," Cameron told her.

"You've pined for this man for ten years..."

"Almost twelve" Cameron corrected.

"So?"

"All three of us could be hurt. I don't want that. Where can it lead?

Besides everything else, I've got a life here, and he'll never leave

PPTH."

"Don't worry about what might happen, Allie, just...just give it a

chance." Clair advised. "Allison, you're forty-one, how many more

chances do you think you'll have?"

She left a very conflicted Allison Cameron to her thoughts.

**Chapter 12. THAT'S MY PEROGATIVE**

"I want pizza," Gretchen said adamantly.

"We've had pizza for dinner twice already this week. Much as I love

me some pizza, I think we should have something else." Besides,

House never had pizza on Friday. "How 'bout Thai?"

"I still vote for pizza."

"This is not a democracy. By the Divine Right of Parents, and as the

said parent, I say Thai."

"The Divine what?"

"The Divine Right of Parents."

"Never heard of it."

"Well, you have now. So, Pad Thai or Curry?"

"You made it up." She was still thinking over the whole idea of there

being a Divine Right of Parents.

"Did not. Again, Pad Thai or Curry?"

Before she could answer, the doorbell rang.

Cameron stood outside the door of apartment B, repeating a mantra

of 'I can do this, I'm strong'. She heard Gretchen call out "I'll

get it," and then the door was open and there she was. Cameron's

heart suddenly felt lighter.

She and Gretchen hugged each other and the child exclaimed, "Mom! I

didn't think you were coming. I'm soooo glad you're here."

Cameron smiled and hugged her daughter again. "I missed you so much,

you couldn't keep me away."

Then House was there at the door. "Can I get one of those?"

She looked at him, considering his request. What could it hurt? She

put her arms around his neck and hugged him too, a friendly kind of

hug.

"You can do better than that," he said and pulled her even closer,

then loosened his grasp and said, "We didn't expect you."

"Mom, are you staying the whole weekend?" Gretchen asked.

"Until Sunday afternoon, unless I get a call on one of my patients."

"Where's your suitcase?" the girl asked.

"Oh, sweetie. It's in my trunk. I'm gonna stay at a motel."

"Why can't you stay here?" Gretchen practically whined.

"There's no room. Where would I sleep?" Cameron said.

"You can sleep on the couch and I'll sleep on the floor" Gretchen

suggested. "Or we can get a cot or something."

"Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?" House asked, his eyebrows

doing their up and down thing.

Gretchen laughed. "Uh, Dad? I've taken two years of French. And I've

seen 'Moulin Rouge'. Twice."

"Movie junkie!" he threw at her.

"The answer is still no," Cameron told him.

"Why not?" House did whine.

"House, we've discussed this already." He was still holding her and

she tried to pull free, but the harder she tried, the tighter he

held on. "You can let go of me. I'm not going anywhere."

He finally let go, then said to Gretchen. "Take your mother's keys

and go get her suitcase."

Cameron decided it wasn't worth fighting. "The cars just up the

street," she said resignedly.

Two pairs of eyes watched their daughter leave, then studied each

other. House suddenly felt the needed to be honest with Cameron. She'd

always kept him honest, probably always would.

"You know, that night ten years ago, I let down my defenses even

though I knew you were leaving, or maybe because of that. The next

morning you were gone and the walls went right back up, complete

with barbed wire." He shrugged. "Now, somehow, Gretchen's been able

to get under the barriers, or around or through them. I don't know.

What I know is, it hasn't killed me."

"Seeing the two of you together warms my heart. You love each other

so unconditionally. It's good," Cameron said.

"She's proven to me I don't always need the walls. Allison, if I'm

willing to take a chance, you should be too," he responded.

"I'm just afraid of hurting Gretchen and of hurting me or you."

"Then we'll have to take things slowly, do everything we can to

make it work."

"OK, but we'll do as Gretchen suggested. I'll sleep on the couch or

the floor, or even the piano bench."

"Nobody sleeps on my piano bench!" he said adamantly.

She laughed.

Gretchen returned to find her parents hugging again. All was right

with the world.


	7. Chapter 13 and 14

**Chapter 13. SATURDAY, SATURDAY**

Saturday morning House woke to the sound of girlish laughter. Was it

coming from his kitchen? Couldn't be. He groaned and pulled his

pillow over his head. He still heard the laughter, as well as some

pots and pans clanking.

The sound was followed by some wonderful odors. Pancakes? And

bacon? Now he knew he was dreaming. He didn't have the ingredients

for pancakes and he'd used the last of the bacon weeks ago.

But the smells were unmistakable. He slowly got up, reached for his

cane, then figured he'd better put some clothes on before he went to

investigate. He rummaged around and came up with a T-shirt. He

sniffed it, not bad, and put it on, then pulled on his jeans and

followed his nose to the kitchen.

His big little girl and his smaller little girl had been busy. A

platter stacked with pancakes was ready and Cameron was just taking

the bacon out of the skillet.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Gretchen greeted him, handing him a cup of

coffee and directing him to sit. Then she handed him a plate and

said "Dig in. Nobody's gonna eat it for you."

He was happy to do as he was told. Cameron and Gretchen soon joined

him and between the three of them they finished it all.

"Where'd all of this food come from" House asked. "Coulda sworn I

didn't have even frozen pancakes last night."

"I ran down to the store earlier and got the ingredients," Cameron

told him.

When they were done, Cameron asked "So what's on the agenda for

today?"

"Dad and I were going to Games and Grub," Gretchen replied.

"Is there really such a place?" Cameron looked incredulous that someone

would name a place that.

"Yeah, one of the orderlies told me about it. It's supposed to have

the most outrageous games," Gretchen replied.

"Then I guess that's what we do," Cameron said, as she rose to take

the dirty dishes to the sink. Gretchen got up to help her, but the

phone rang and the girl went to pick it up instead.

"House residence, Gretchen speaking," she said. Then she paused,

obviously listening to the caller. "Oh, hi Dr. Cuddy." After a

longer pause, she said, "OK, I'll tell him. We'll be there at 5

instead of 6. See you later. Oh, and Dr. Cuddy..." But Cuddy had

hung up.

She replaced the phone in its charger and told her parents, "That

was Dr. Cuddy. She said we should be there at five so that I can

go swimming with Tommy before the other guests arrive for dinner."

Cameron looked confused. What was this all about?

House had almost forgotten. "Wilson and Cuddy invited us over for

dinner tonight. They thought it would be a good chance for Gretchen

to meet their son," he told Cameron. Then he turned toward his

daughter. "You didn't tell her that your mother was here."

"I tried to, but she'd already hung up. Mom I'm sure it's all

right if you come too."

"Maybe I'd better call and let her know," Cameron said frowning. "I

don't really want to invite myself, though."

"Why not?" House asked.

Cameron looked at their expectant faces, then picked up the phone

and hit 'call last incoming number'. "Dr. Cuddy, it's Allison

Cameron." Pause. "Oh, fine, how are you?" Pause. "No, I'm sorry I

didn't have a chance to see you." Pause "No, I'm in New Jersey for

the weekend and House and Gretchen just told me that you'd invited

them for dinner." Pause. "Well, if it isn't too much trouble." Pause.

"Well, we'll see you then." Pause. "Yes, she did. See you later."

"At least now she knows," Cameron told House and Gretchen.

"Mom, I just realized, I don't have a swimsuit!"

Cameron smiled. "There's a backpack in the trunk of my car with some

of the things they sent back from your camp. I think there's one or

even two bathing suits in there."

Gretchen beamed at her. "Mom, you're the best!"

"OK, so who's got the bathroom first?" Cameron asked.

"Me!" shouted Gretchen. "And we're still going to Games and Grub,

aren't we?"

Cameron looked at House for confirmation. He wouldn't show it, but

he was as excited as Gretchen to go. "Sure," she said.

Soon they were all ready. They drove to Games and Grub, which wasn't

very far away. Just as the orderly had promised, the place was full

of the most cutting edge games.

Cameron watched as both Gretchen and House tried one after another.

They even got her to try a few, but she didn't have their skill at

using the controllers and paddles and buttons and things. The

holographic images and virtual reality headgear gave her a headache.

But she laughed along with them as they played.

At one they took time out to eat some burgers. House stole fries from

both Cameron and Gretchen, but he let them have his pickles.

After lunch, House and Cameron stood side-by-side watching Gretchen

trying to master a particularly difficult game.

"She's really something," House whispered to Cameron.

"Yes, she is," Cameron agreed.

"Whoda thunk it?" House mused. "Some of your best features..."

"And some of yours," she finished the thought.

**Chapter 14. MAKE NEW FRIENDS BUT KEEP THE OLD**

"We should bring something," Cameron insisted, as they drove to the

Cuddy-Wilson home Saturday afternoon.

"Nah, Wilson said not to bother," House said.

"That's what Cuddy told me too," Cameron agreed. "But I feel funny,

barging in and not bringing anything. Maybe not food, but something

else?"

"Mom, how about some pretty flowers?" Gretchen suggested.

"Great idea," her mother told her, although her father didn't seem

thrilled.

Cuddy greeted them at the door. "Hi, Gretchen. Cameron, it's good to

see you." The two women seemed to be debating how to greet each

other after all this time. In the end, Cameron made a decision. She

put her slim arms around the other woman, squeezing briefly, then

stepping back to admire her. "You look great," she said sincerely.

Cuddy smiled at her. "So do you. And you've got quite a kid here."

Cameron beamed.

"I'd hug you too, but Wilson's still my bestest friend and I don't

want to make him all jealous or anything," House said as he handed

her the bouquet they'd stopped for. Obviously his comments to Cuddy

hadn't stopped over the years, but they'd gotten tamer.

"Why, thanks. They're lovely!" Cuddy sniffed the fragrant blossoms,

then led them into the house.

"Gretchen picked them out," Cameron told her.

"Jim and Tommy are in the backyard, waiting for Gretchen," Cuddy said.

"You did bring a swimsuit?"

Gretchen replied, "Yup, got it right here." She held up a plastic bag

holding her suit and a towel.

"Well, you can change in here," Cuddy said, indicating the door to a

small bathroom between the front door and the kitchen.

"OK, I'll be quick. Mom, can you braid my hair when I come out?"

"Sure," Cameron said.

There were three people in the kitchen, one at the stove, one at the

table, and the third at the sink, preparing the food for dinner.

Cuddy handed one of them the flowers and said, "There's a vase in

the cabinet over there. We'll want these on the main table."

True to her word, Gretchen took only five minutes to change and

Cameron quickly braided her long hair, so like her mother's. Finally

Cuddy led them out to the backyard.

Wilson was sitting by the pool with a small boy. Tommy had Wilson's

light brown hair and brown eyes and the same killer smile. He got

up when he saw them and only then did Cameron notice the braces on

his short legs. He made his way over to them with his father

trailing behind.

"Uncle Greg!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, Slugger," House greeted him with a smile.

"This is Uncle Greg's daughter Gretchen," Cuddy told her son. Tommy

looked at the tall girl shyly. "And this is her mother, Dr. Cameron,"

his mother continued.

"But you can call me Aunt Allie."

He looked at the pretty woman who looked just like the girl.

"Your mom said we could go swimming," Gretchen said.

"Sure," Tommy finally smiled at her. "C'mon." He moved towards a large

pool that took up a considerable part of the backyard, deftly removed

the braces, and slid over the side into the water. Gretchen slid in

too, and soon they were both swimming.

The two sets of parents watched in awe.

"Can you do this?" Gretchen asked, executing a cartwheel in the

water.

"I don't know," Tommy answered. "But I'll try." His first couple of

tries were unsuccessful and both children laughed good-naturedly.

Finally he got it.

"You did it!" Gretchen exclaimed, clapping for him. "Way to go,

Tommy, that was outrageous."

"That's her favorite word," Cameron told Cuddy.

"It's amazing how well they're relating to one another," Cuddy said.

"I guess I always worry when he meets new children, whether they'll

accept him. Jim tells me I worry too much and should just let him

be a kid."

"I expect he's had all the tests, treatments and therapies

available?" Cameron ventured to ask.

"Yes. One of the reasons for the pool," Wilson told her. "He's

actually doing better than he used to."

"Well, he seems to be a bright and happy child and he has the

unconditional love of both of his parents," Cameron observed. "I've

seen kids who didn't have that. Whatever their disabilities, without

that support their progress was limited."

The two children were now having a contest to see who could stay

under the longest. But mostly they were laughing and having a

wonderful time.

Too soon, Cuddy had to call out. "OK, kids. You'll have to come out

and change. The other guests will be arriving soon."


	8. Chapters 15 and 16

_Around the time I was writing this, another writer, RosettaStone, was writing a Foreman-centric fic. In Rosie's story, Foreman meets Dana, a white woman who's a teacher and is losing her hearing. That story also introduced his niece Jahzara, whose mother was Egyptian, I think. Anyway, I borrowed the characters of Dana and Jahzara for this story._

**Chapter 15. IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR**

When Gretchen and Tommy returned from changing out of their wet suits

some of the other guests were arriving. Suddenly, Tommy made a

beeline for a group that had just come into the backyard. Gretchen

followed her new friend, but she only knew one of the newcomers, Dr.

Foreman.

Tommy stopped in front of a tall, bronze-skinned teenager with

blazing dark eyes and exclaimed "Jahzara!" Gretchen thought at first

this was some sort of greeting for someone he was happy to see, but

soon learned it was the name of the exotic-looking girl.

"This is my friend Gretchen," Tommy told Jahzara.

Gretchen just said "Hi," and then, "Hi, Dr. Foreman."

"Hi, Gretchen. Nice to see you again," Foreman replied. He was

carrying a toddler, who he promptly put down, but she clung to his

leg. "Your Dad here?" he asked.

"Yeah, and my mom," Gretchen announced.

Foreman's eyebrows lifted, but he smiled, then introduced the others.

"This is my wife, Dana, the boy is Ricky and the little girl is

Rebecca. And Jahzara is our niece."

He tapped Dana on the shoulder to get her attention away from the

little girl who he'd put down and was now tugging at her mother's leg. When Dana was facing him, he said, "Honey, this is Gretchen, House's daughter."

"Hi, Mrs. Foreman," Gretchen said.

House and Cameron appeared, followed closely by Wilson and Cuddy.

"Brought the whole entourage, I see," House said.

"Could say the same for you." Foreman chuckled.

House had to smile.

"Hello, Foreman," Cameron said. She hugged him, then looked at a

watchful Dana. "Hope you don't mind."

"Don't mind her. She'll hug anyone, even me," House said.

"You remember Cameron, honey," Foreman said.

"Yes, we met at your birthday party the year you and I met. Dr.

Cameron, are you here for a visit?"

"Just for the weekend. Gretchen's staying with House for two weeks."

She looked at Foreman's family, then suddenly exclaimed. "But, that

can't be Jahzara? When I meet her at that party, she was just a

little girl, younger than Gretchen and Tommy."

"She's spending the summer with us. She'll be starting college in a week,"

Foreman told her. "And these are our children," Foreman said proudly.

Ricky was a sturdy little boy, about six years old. He was more

interested in the other kids than in any of the adults.

"C'mon, Ricky, let's go play on the swings," Gretchen urged him.

His face lit up and he followed Gretchen and Tommy to a gym set on

one side of the yard.

"You're still in Albany?" Foreman asked Cameron, but his eyes were

watching the three children as they played.

"Yes," Cameron replied. "I'm the head of the Infectious Disease

department at the children's hospital there.

Dana had picked Rebecca up and the toddler was 'whispering' in her

mother's ear, loud enough for Dana to hear and therefore everyone

else. "Wanna swing too."

"OK," Dana said, and carried the child to where the others were

playing.

Cameron turned to Jahzara. "What are you going to major in? Do you

know yet?"

"Entomology," she answered, smiling.

"She's always liked bugs," Foreman said.

"Uncle Eric!" She grimaced at him, but not for long. It was clear

she was crazy about her uncle. "I'm going to help Dana with the

children."

"Sure," he said. He watched her go. Although she was his brother's

daughter, she'd been close to Dana since they met. And close to him

long before that.

Cameron watched his eyes. He was talking to them but his attention

was completely on his family. She was glad to see he'd found so

much happiness.

Her eyes shifted to House and she was almost shocked by the smile on his face as he watched his daughter and the others.

**Unconditional Love 16. WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER HERO**

Cameron suddenly heard a familiar accented voice say "I don't believe

it!" She turned towards the voice and smiled, then walked towards the

blond Australian.

"Chase!" she exclaimed as she hugged him, ignoring his wide-eyed

stare. She turned to the short brunette with him and said "Dr.

Sullivan, good to see you again."

"Hi, Dr. Cameron. I thought you weren't coming for Gretchen until

next weekend," Sullivan said.

"She convinced me to spend the weekend here, but I'm leaving

tomorrow and she'll spend another week here with House. Hope she

hasn't gotten in your way at the hospital."

"No, not at all" Sullivan responded. "Confidentially, she's had a

good influence on House."

"You look gggreat!" Chase stammered.

"You don't look too bad yourself." Cameron chuckled. She could feel

House's eyes had shifted from the children to her. She wasn't sure

whether that was a good or a bad thing.

"The children seem to be having a great time," Sullivan commented.

"Amazing, isn't it? Chase, would you have imagined when I left ten

years ago that Cuddy and Wilson would be together and that their son

and Foreman's kids would be playing with my daughter?"

They watched Foreman walk towards his family, lift Rebecca with one

arm and then put the other around Dana's shoulders.

As Cameron's eyes swept the yard they locked on House's and her

smile widened. He came over to where she, Chase and Sullivan were

standing.

"So what are you two waiting for?" he asked Chase and Sullivan.

"Better get going if you wanna join the momma and poppa club."

"House!" Cameron admonished him, supported by her best smirk.

He narrowed his eyes at her "Wha?"

"You're still sniping at Chase? After all these years?"

"Relax, Cameron," Chase said. "It's like a reflex reaction to him,

like Pavlov's dog - he sees me, he snipes. I've learned to ignore

it."

"And Robert's been giving me pointers, too," Sullivan added.

"Oh, you two are no fun!" House complained. "When do we eat?"

Just then Cuddy began to move her guests towards three tables on

the brick patio. Gretchen left her new friends and came over to her

parents.

"Dad, do I have to go to the hospital on Wednesday?" Gretchen asked.

"Got a hot date?" he countered.

"Well, Mrs. Foreman and Jahzara are taking Ricky and 'Becca to the

zoo, and they said they'd take Tommy and me too, if our parents

agreed."

"So you'd rather hang out with those little kids than me?" House

asked. He looked at Cameron with a 'what do I do?' look. She just

shrugged, it was obviously his call.

"And Jahzara. She's cooool! She knows all about caterpillars and

butterflies and stuff." Gretchen explained.

House seemed to deflate. "Sure. If that's what you want to do."

"Oh, Dad, you're the greatest!" Gretchen threw her arms around his

neck and hugged him. "I'll just go tell Mrs. Foreman and be right

back."

"Fickle," House muttered, popping a small oval pill.

Cameron had been watching his reaction. She placed a hand on his arm.

"House, you're still her number one hero," she reassured him. "And

you did the right thing letting her go with them."

He looked at her. When did she become so wise? True she'd had much

more experience as a parent, but it went beyond that.

They sat down at one of the tables leaving a place for Gretchen

between them.

"So, what are you taking now?" she asked, then guessed "Novoprin?"

"Yeah. It's more effective for the pain than Vicodin," he replied.

"But it does nothing to numb your emotions, does it?" she said. "So

why'd you take one now?"

"I guess I keep hoping," he answered. "I haven't taken as much since

she's been here, even for the pain."

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty for taking her back to Albany

next week?" She didn't wait for his reply. "Because it isn't gonna

work. Isn't it about time you found other ways to deal with the

physical and emotional pain?"

He just looked at her as if she'd suddenly betrayed him. But what he

saw in her eyes was not disapproval, just encouragement.

"If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your daughter," she

said. "You know you can."


	9. Chapters 17 and 18

_George, the Bassett hound, comes from one of smksredhead (AKA Jennifer)'s stories. And yes, I realize now I did quite a bit of head hopping in Chapter 18, but I couldn't decide how to change it without losing some of the story._

**Chapter 17. SUNDAY SWEET SUNDAY**

"Rise and shine, my pretties, up and at 'em." House was unusually

wide-awake Sunday morning when he entered the living room, already

dressed in his jeans and t-shirt. Cameron was surprised to see that

it was already 10 AM.

"Dad?" Gretchen rarely slept in but the previous day had tired her

out. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I am about to treat my two little girls to the greatest breakfast

in New Jersey. C'mon, c'mon. Times a-wasting. Those pancakes won't

wait all day."

At the mention of food, Gretchen bounced up from the floor where

she'd been sleeping and headed for the bathroom with a handful of

clothes.

House watched Cameron stretch and yawn and finally sit up on the

couch, then realize that she was wearing nothing but a skimpy pair

of baby dolls. She pulled the sheet around herself and said, "We'll

be with you in a few minutes."

Soon they were in the car and on their way.

House broke the silence. "You were so full of questions last night."

"But you weren't forthcoming with any answers," Cameron countered.

"Where are we going?" Gretchen asked.

"You'll see when we get there," House told her.

"Your dad likes to be mysterious," Cameron added.

Before long they pulled up in front of a small shop with a red and

white striped awning and a sign saying Tintagel's Bakeshop and Cafe.

Three small, round, wrought iron tables with matching chairs sat

outside, surrounded by a wrought iron fence. A bell tinkled as they

entered the shop. Inside were more tables and chairs, all of them

occupied.

A display case contained all sorts of baked goods. The air was filled

with the aroma of just-baked scones and muffins. A green parrot on a

perch near the cash register said, "take a number, take a number," over

and over with an occasional "try today's special". He was competing

with two other parrots who seemed to be having a conversation with

each other.

"A pancake a day keeps the doctor away," said one and the other

replied, "Coffee or tea? Coffee or tea?".

A young woman wearing a baker's toque and apron and carrying menus

and an order pad began to ask, "Can I help you?" but suddenly

recognized House. "Dr. House, you haven't been in for a while."

"Had a hankering for your macadamia nut pancakes," he said.

She looked at Cameron and Gretchen questioningly. Cameron knew that

House wouldn't introduce them so she said, "Hi, I'm Allison Cameron

and this is Gretchen."

"Can we sit outside?" Gretchen asked.

"Sure." She took them back outside and through a small gate in the

fence, then left them with hand-lettered menus.

Soon another customer entered the shop, leaving a dog outside,

tethered to a post, but soon she came back out to sit at one of the

other outside tables. She was alone except for the well-behaved

basset hound who now sat beside her chair. "So, George, what should

we have today?" The dog howled once. "Yeah, good choice."

This got Gretchen's curiosity and she got up and walked over to

them. "Excuse me. Did you just talk to your dog?"

"Do it all the time," the woman said. "He's the best listener and

usually gives me very good advice."

"What did he tell you to order?" Gretchen asked. "I don't speak dog,

you see."

"Well, he told me pancakes were in order for today."

"That's what we're having," the child said. "My Dad says they make the

greatest pancakes here, even better than Uncle Jimmy's. Of course,

I'll have to take his word for it since I've never had Uncle Jimmy's

pancakes."

The conversation at the other table was also about 'Uncle Jimmy'.

"So, what did you want to know?" House asked, finally ready to

address some of Cameron's questions from the night before.

"Well, first, how did Wilson and Cuddy get together? I mean, when I

left, Wilson was in the middle of divorcing Julie."

"Yeah, and Cuddy was looking for a sperm donor." House knew that

bombshell would shock her. He watched her eyes go wide, then narrow

with incredulity.

"She was what?" Cameron asked.

"She wanted a child. Wanted to go the IVF route. I helped her go

through literally thousands of perspective donors."

"You're not kidding, are you?" Cameron was trying to get her mind

around this. "She never considered Wilson? Or you?"

"She did have dinner with him once to sound him out, but she

chickened." House sniggered. "He thought it was a date."

"Wow!"

"But after a few months, Wilson finally figured out what we were

doing all those evenings in her office. Next thing I knew it was the

three of us going through the files."

"Were there really that many?" Cameron was now trying to deal with

the details and extent of this 'project'.

"Unbelievable numbers of men willing to give for the propagation of

the human race." He watched her shake her head, then went on. "Then,

one week we had a patient with many contradictory symptoms and more

appearing every day. Kept me away from those sessions. Somehow,

during one of those evenings, well, I thought it was because she was

becoming desperate, but I guess now it was something else. They've

been together ever since."

"Oooh!" Cameron smiled. "And Tommy?"

But before he could go on, their breakfasts were delivered, plates

stacked high with pancakes and little pots of butter, preserves

and syrup to put on them.

Gretchen returned and they dug in. "Dad, you were right. These are

outrageous!"

Their mouths were too full to say much, but eventually Gretchen said,

"Can we get a dog?"

Cameron and House looked at each other, then they shook their heads

and said, "No." Things were already complicated.

Gretchen pouted for a few minutes, but continued to eat. Then another

idea hit her. "Then, I want a little brother. Or sister."

**Chapter 18. EVERYTIME YOU SAY GOODBYE**

Cameron wiped up the coffee that had come out her nose, and House

finally stopped choking on his pancakes. They both rushed to convince

Gretchen that she really, really didn't want a sibling.

"Gretchen, sweetie, do you really want a baby around? You know, you

won't be able to play with it for a long time." Cameron told her.

"You'd have to share your mom with it. You don't want that," House

warned her.

"But I could help take care of him, and when Mom's with him, I can

be with you, Dad," she reasoned.

House and Cameron gave each other dismayed looks. Finally, Cameron

said, rather firmly, "Sorry Gretchen. No dog. No brother. No sister."

House looked at her. Where'd that backbone come from? He didn't want

to disappoint Gretchen, who was frowning at them. But he knew he and

Cameron had to stand together on this.

It had clouded over as they ate, and they began to feel great big

drops of rain fall.

"Everyone finished?" House asked. Since all the food was gone, it

was obvious they were. He went inside to pay and Cameron and

Gretchen hurried into Cameron's car that was luckily parked nearby.

They drove home, that is to House's place, each absorbed by their

own thoughts.

Cameron still hadn't digested the story House had told her about

Wilson and Cuddy. And now, Gretchen had given her something new to

think about. She knew the girl already thought of them as a family,

no matter what they tried to tell her, but now she'd gone further

in her fantasy. Further than Cameron, herself, had ever gone.

House continued to wonder where Cameron had gotten the strength to

be firm with Gretchen, and whether he could do the same. He so

wanted to give the child everything her little heart desired. Of

course, her latest demand was out of the question. Wasn't it? Then

again, he'd never had the chance to see his child as an infant or

watch her grow. And he'd never gotten to see a pregnant Cameron.

A picture came unbidden to his mind. Whoa, boy. Enough of that. Bad

train of thought.

Gretchen hadn't given up. She knew she just had to bide her time,

and figure out a way to convince them. She wasn't Gregory House's

child for nothing.

They'd reached the apartment. It was raining more heavily now so

they decided to spend the rest of the day indoors. They started a

new video game based on the old board game 'Operation'. House

figured it would be a good one to get Cameron started on. She'd

probably never be as good as Gretchen seemed to be at these things,

but she'd improve with practice. House and Gretchen alternated

helping her and playing against her. Soon they were all laughing,

Gretchen's earlier requests forgotten, or so her parents thought.

They stopped at about three because they were hungry, and got out

assorted containers of left-over take-out food for a scrounge meal.

"I'll have to leave by four," Cameron said after a while. "If this

weather follows me all the way home, I probably won't get there

before ten or eleven."

"Oh, Mom, I want you to stay!" Gretchen pleaded. "Please." She turned

to her father. "Dad, tell her to stay."

"You know I have to get back to Albany. There's a

really sick little boy that I have to treat." The leukemia patient

who'd been doing well on the protocol they'd been using had stopped

improving and now seemed to be getting worse again.

Gretchen knew her mother was right, but wasn't very happy about it.

"Promise you'll be back next weekend. Not just on Sunday to get me,

but the whole weekend again?"

"I can't promise," Cameron told her. "But I'll try. That is if it's

alright with your father." She turned to House, who nodded his

agreement. She was handling this well and he didn't want to get in

the way.

This seemed to mollify the girl a bit. She watched as her mother

gathered her things and repacked her suitcase.

At four, Cameron was ready to leave, well maybe not ready emotionally

but ready physically. She hugged Gretchen and told her, "I'll talk

to you, OK?"

Gretchen beat House to it by saying, "Call when you get home."

Cameron smiled. "I will." Then she looked at House. His look was

intense and she suddenly didn't know what to do. "Thanks for a good

weekend. I'm glad I came. Take good care of our girl," she said.

"See you next weekend." What else could she say to him?

He wasn't going to let her go like that. He limped over to her and

dropped his cane, put his arms around her and hugged her. "Bye,

Cameron."

She hugged back. "Bye House." And then she was gone.


	10. Chapters 19 and 20

**Chapter 19. HANGING BY THE TELEPHONE**

After Cameron was gone, a thought suddenly occurred to Gretchen. "Dad,

we never played the piano for Mom."

House shrugged. "There's always next week."

"Teach me a new one," she pleaded.

"OK. Time to introduce you to the real classics," he said.

"Isn't that some of what I play?"

"I don't mean classical music," he told her.

They sat down side-by-side on the bench. "Ever heard of Jelly Roll

Morton?" House asked.

"Jelly what?"

"He's a 'who'. Guess you never heard of him." He proceeded to tell

her about the old ragtime and blues man. As he did he played a few

riffs of 'Jelly Roll Blues'.

"OK, now try this," he said as he played some ragtime chords. She

watched his hands attack the keys and tried to copy what he'd done.

"This is a blast!" she said when she finally got the chords down.

It was fun music to play, so they kept at it for over an hour until

hunger prompted Gretchen to make her nightly request. "I want pizza."

This time her father agreed, grabbed the phone and ordered their

usuals.

They both started to become anxious at 10 PM, although they each

tried to hide it. Again, Gretchen got to the phone first when it

finally rang at 10:30.

"Hi Mom," she said happily.

"Hi Sweetheart," Cameron said.

"Aren't you home yet?" Gretchen noticed that it was her mother's

cell phone number on the caller ID, not their home phone.

"Not yet. There were several accidents so traffic's been terrible,"

her mother told her.

House had hit the speaker phone button as she was talking. "Where

are you?" he asked. The concern in his voice surprised even him.

"The last rest stop before Albany. If I'm lucky I'll be home in less

than an hour. I just had to get off the road for a bit

and get some coffee. But I didn't want you guys to worry."

"Who, us?" House feigned nonchalance.

"Yeah, what was I thinking?" she laughed.

"Well, call when you finally get there," he said.

"It's already 10:30. It might be close to midnight," she warned.

"I'll turn off all the phones except the one in my bedroom."

"No!" Gretchen protested.

"Sweetie, you need to go to sleep," her mother told her.

"But I won't sleep well until you call," she argued.

There was a pause on the line, then Cameron said, "OK, but go to

sleep now. I'm gonna drink this coffee and then get back on the road.

I'll call when I finally get there. Bye Gretchen, House."

"Bye," they both said.

It was almost midnight when the phone rang again.

"Cameron." House picked up the phone in his room. The relief in his

voice was unmistakable.

"Hi, I finally made it." Cameron sounded exhausted.

"Hi Mom," Gretchen said on the living room phone. "You're finally

home."

"Yes, sweetheart. Now you can go to sleep."

"OK," the girl agreed, rather reluctantly.

"Goodnight Gretchen," her father called to her.

"Night Dad."

House listened for the click, and when it didn't come he said, "Hang

up the phone." He finally heard the living room phone disconnect.

"Doesn't she ever give up on anything?" House asked Cameron.

Cameron chuckled. "Is she still hounding you about you know what?"

She didn't wait for an answer but went on instead. "Did you try the

straightforward approach, say you agree with me and the answer is

still no?"

"Huh?"

"I didn't think so." She chuckled some more. "You've always been good

at deflecting questions that you didn't want to answer, but I can

see how that might not work with her."

"She's a little too sharp for me to try that," he said. He was chuckling

too now.

"But she's only nine. She hasn't had fifty-five years of practice

like you have. You can handle her."

"Not like you can," House told her.

She smiled at the almost compliment. "I've had a lot of practice.

She seems to have inherited your 'manipulation' gene." She thought

back to some of the challenges she'd had with the girl. "House,

parenting isn't a science. There's a lot of trial and error. I still

make mistakes, and you will too. But I've seen you with her. Your

instincts are good." She yawned loudly. "House, I'm exhausted, I'm

going to bed. Night."

"Thanks, Cameron. Good-night."

**Chapter 20. MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKING**

Cameron had just gotten settled in her office Monday morning when

Clair burst in, anxious to hear about her weekend.

"So, how'd it go?" Clair asked, her eyes shining at the smile on her

friend's face.

"Oh, fine," Cameron said, trying to downplay her happiness. "We saw

some of the people I used to work with, met their families. Gretchen

had a great time with their kids."

"I asked about you," Clair insisted. "Obviously things went well. Did

you sleep with him?"

"Clair! My you're blunt this morning," Cameron admonished her. "I

shouldn't even answer that." She pressed her lips together. "No,

I didn't. But it was...I was going to say OK," she went on, her face

softening as she thought about the weekend. "It was a lot better than

OK. Frankly, I don't know where this is going, but you were right.

I'm just enjoying the moment and seeing my daughter happy."

"So, Gretchen and her father are getting along? How do you feel

about that?"

Cameron beamed. "As happy as I've ever been." Then she laughed. "You

won't believe this, or maybe you will. Yesterday, Gretchen asked for

a dog. When we said no, she changed her request. She wants a brother,

but said she'd settle for a sister."

"Oh, no!" Clair laughed too. "Kids!"

"Yeah. Of course, I said no and House went along with me, but I don't

think the matter's closed. She's too much like her father to let it

go like that."

"Maybe you should settle for the dog for the time being," Clair

suggested.

"Sully, do you like Dr. Chase?" Gretchen asked the cardiologist.

They were the only ones in the conference room that morning.

Sullivan looked at the curious child. "Yes, I like him," she said

after a pause. "I like him a lot."

"Do you love him?" the girl asked.

Sullivan wondered why she was asking these personal questions. She

didn't know whether anything she said would get back to her boss, but

she was curious herself about what the child was after. "I guess

that's a yes, too," she finally said.

"If you lived far, far away from him, would you move here?"

Sullivan finally realized that this wasn't about Robert and her

after all. She knew she had to tread lightly here. "It would depend

on why I lived far, far away. If I had a good job, an important job

there, it wouldn't be easy," she said.

"But you could look for a good job here, couldn't you?" Gretchen

insisted.

Sully laughed at her persistence. "I don't know." Sullivan wondered whether House

and Cameron knew what their daughter was thinking.

"Is Cameron back in New York?" Wilson asked his friend as they

stood on their neighboring balconies.

"Yes. She didn't get home until close to midnight last night," House

told him.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Oh, c'mon House. When she worked for you, you'd never admit that you

even liked her, but obviously you did. I mean there's Gretchen to

prove it."

"You're assuming too much," House countered.

Wilson ignored him. "And now she spent the weekend with you."

"She spent the weekend with Gretchen who happened to be staying with

me," House insisted.

"So, those looks you two were giving each other Saturday night meant

nothing," Wilson prodded.

"We're working out what's best for the squirt. Gotta put up a united

front or she'll roll right over us." There was pride evident in his

voice.

"Why, what's she pushing for now?"

"Yesterday it was a dog. OR a brother. Maybe a sister. The order of

preference is still undecided."

Wilson laughed. "You know, she may be playing you there."

"What d'you mean?"

"Know what I think she really wants? She wants you all to live

together, and any of those might lead to what she wants."

"Hmmm," House mused. He knew the kid was clever, but not that devious.

He headed back to his office.

"Where are you going?" Wilson asked.

"Gotta run this past Cameron."

"House, before you do, you should think about whether or not you want

the same thing as Gretchen," Wilson advised. He watched his friend's

face and saw the look of concentration as House considered what he'd

just said.


	11. Chapters 21 and 22

_I wanted to warn you that I'll be leaving Friday or Saturday for a trip to Texas, and there will probably be times when I don't have Internet access. I'll try to post when I can._

**Chapter 21. LET'S GET IT STARTED**

"Hi Gretchen." Wilson said as he entered House's office and found

her alone again, sitting at House's desk, reading a book on her

palm-reader. "There are some children I'd like to take you to meet."

"Cancer kids?" she asked. She'd met young cancer patients at Albany

Childrens. She knew some people were reluctant to spend time with

them. Those people were scared or repelled. But Gretchen also knew

these patients were kids like her and did the same things she liked

to do. "Sure." She got up and went with him.

As they walked towards the elevator, they saw House.

"Dad, Uncle Jimmy is taking me to meet some kids," Gretchen told her

father.

"Your dying kids, I suppose?" House said with a sneer.

"Yes, I didn't think you'd object, and Gretchen seems willing to go,"

Wilson replied.

House looked at Gretchen's face, then said, "OK. As long as I don't

have to go, too."

Gretchen was surprised that her Dad was one of those people who

avoided these kids. He liked to do some of the things they did, too.

She shrugged, and followed Wilson into the elevator.

They rode up to the fourth floor where the pediatric oncology ward

was. Wilson led the way to a lounge where several children were

playing. They all seemed right at home in the hospital, probably

because they'd spent so much time in and out of hospitals in their

short lives.

Most of them looked up at the newcomers. Many knew Dr. Wilson.

He brought Gretchen over to a small group of kids about her age.

"Kids, this is Gretchen. She's the daughter of one of the doctor's

here at PPTH, and she wanted to meet you," he told them.

Shyly they said, "Hi."

"Gretchen, this is Donny, and that's Amanda, and the redhead is

Terry." The 'redhead' probably had no hair, but wore a Carrot-Top

wig. The children all laughed at Wilson's little joke. It broke the ice,

and soon the kids, including Gretchen, were playing an interactive

video game together and laughing.

"I'll come back for you in a little while," Wilson told Gretchen. She

nodded, but was too absorbed in the game to answer.

House sat at his videophone deep in thought, then finally pressed

the keys that Gretchen had set to directly call her mother.

Her lovely face appeared on the screen. "House. I thought it would

be Gretchen calling."

"Well, if you don't want to speak to me..."

The hint of disappointment on his face was surprising. "No. Of course

we can talk. It's just that she usually calls at this time." Cameron

said.

"Wilson took her to meet some some of his bald-headed kids."

Cameron smirked. He was still calling them that after all these

years. She always thought that there was real affection under the

derision.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"No." He'd decided not to tell her what Wilson had said the day

before about Gretchen's motives. "I just called to...well...call,"

he ended lamely.

"Oh." He could see that she was unsure of what to say. He didn't know

what to say either. Finally he fell back on, "So, will you be able to

come on Friday?"

"I don't know yet. We're still having mixed results with the

little boy who was so sick."

This time, she was sure that there was disappointment in the blue

eyes staring at her. Well, there was a medical decision she could

make here.

"House, can I ask you for a consult? I mean, I know you don't like to

consult on patients unless the case is a puzzle. But this one is, and

I'd really like your input."

He thought briefly, then said, "We don't have a patient of our own at

the moment. Sure, we can look at this kid."

"Great!" she said. "I'll just send his file to your system so you can

review it. Frankly, I'm pretty stumped here. The leukemia

symptoms were getting better, the meds and treatment were working

and then, suddenly, there was no further improvement. Now he's getting

worse again, the same and different symptoms, as if the leukemia was

masking something else. We figured it might be an infection, but we

haven't found it yet."

"You're the immunologist," he said, puzzled that she would ask for him

to consult.

"Infectious diseases are part of your specialty too," she replied.

"I know it's not the virus that Gretchen had, and not any of the

common ones. I just want this kid to get better. He's such a sweet

kid."

"You want all patients to get better, and you probably think all

kids are sweet," he said, with a big smirk. "Send us the file and

we'll see whether we can help."

Gretchen was surprised when, instead of Wilson, Dr. Cuddy came to

collect her.

"Hi, Dr. Cuddy," she said.

"I thought we'd agreed on Aunt Lisa," Cuddy said with a smile.

"But not in the hospital. Dr. Cuddy, is Tommy going with us to the

Zoo tomorrow?"

"Well..." Wilson had been trying to convince her to let him go, to

be less protective of her son.

"I hope he can go. It'll be such fun!" Gretchen told her as they

walked towards the elevator.

Seeing the enthusiasm, thinking about Tommy's pleading to go, Cuddy

finally made her decision. "Yes, he can go." She smiled again. This

child seemed to make her smile. A lot.

"That's great!" Gretchen said. "Dr. Cuddy, can I ask you something

else?"

Cuddy didn't know what the girl had in mind. She supposed it had

something to do with Tommy. She waited to hear what it was, and was

completely startled when the girl spoke.

"Do you have any openings in the Infectious Disease department here?"

Chapter 22. **IT'S ALL HAPPENING AT THE ZOO (LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, **

**OH MY!)**

Dana and Jahzara came by at 9 Wednesday morning to pick-up Gretchen.

Tommy was already in the eight-passenger Family Bus (or FB as they

were called) with Ricky and Becca.

"Bye, Dad," Gretchen called out as she left.

House had convinced himself that a day at the hospital without his

daughter was just what he needed.

They drove to the turnpike and headed north. Jahzara had the kids

singing songs all the way north, across the George Washington Bridge

and the Cross Bronx Expressway, and north on the Bronx River Parkway.

When she ran out of songs, Gretchen suggested some she'd learned at

camp. They were just finished singing "Kumbaya" when they finally

pulled into the parking lot. Nary a single "are we there yet?" had

been spoken.

"Why don't we start with a ride around the zoo so we can decide what

we want to see," Jahzara suggested. Dana remembered when she and Eric had taken Jahzara to the Bronx Zoo ten years before, and they'd all enjoyed it, but the rest of the children had never been there.

"Each of you can pick one thing to see," Dana added.

The Monorail took them through the zoo, allowing everyone to see

every area and all of the animals that were outside. After they'd

ridden once, Tommy said, "I wanna see the elephants."

Ricky wanted to see the snakes. "I couldn't see them from the train.

Were they asleep?"

"I think they're indoors in the reptile house" his mother told him.

"Neat!" he said.

"How about the sea lions?" Gretchen suggested. "Maybe we can feed

them fish." She did that at the zoo in Albany once.

"OK," Dana agreed, then she looked at little Becca.

"Doggies," the toddler said. "I like doggies."

"I'm afraid they don't have any of those," Dana said, smiling

affectionately at her naive request.

"Kitties?"

"Oh, yeah!" Gretchen agreed. "We can see the lions and tigers and

cheetahs. I looooove cheetahs."

"Good," Dana said. Their day was planned.

"Aunt Dana?" Jahzara had one more stop for them to make. "I want to

show the kids the butterfly garden."

Dana sighed. She could do this. She'd positively crave adult

conversation before the day was over, but the kids would have a

wonderful time and be so exhausted, that she and Eric would be able

to have a quiet evening with just the two of them. That is, if she

didn't fall asleep before the kids.

They set out on their trek through the zoo. Dana had rented a

stroller for Rebecca so that they could keep up with the other kids.

Even little Ricky with his short 6-year-old legs and Tommy with his

braces could move along pretty quickly. Dana smiled as she noticed

the curious glances from other zoo visitors. She knew they were

wondering which of this assortment of children were hers.

First stop - the elephants. Becca laughed at a baby elephant

that flung it's trunk at them and she climbed out of the stroller to get

closer. They had to buy peanuts and feed it. She had so much fun

doing that, she didn't want to go on. But the other kids had

different plans.

"The big cats are nearby," Tommy told her. "Didn't you want to see

the kitties?"

Becca liked the stripes on the tigers and the spots on the leopards

but, "Wanna kitty like that," she said pointing to an ocelot with

black spots on its yellow coat.

As they continued on, they passed camel rides. Gretchen, Tommy and

Ricky looked at each other, then, as a group, begged to ride. They'd

gotten pay-one-price passes so, after a moment's hesitation, Dana

relented.

By then it was almost noon. Dana knew it was best not to wait until

the children were over-hungry before they stopped for lunch. A

nearby stand was perfect: hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, milk

and juice.

While they ate, Jahzara wandered off a little on her own, but soon

came back very excited. "Aunt Dana, you'll never guess. Remember you

said there weren't any dogs? But there are! African Wild Dogs! Just

over there." She pointed in the general direction they'd been going.

So, of course they had to see those too, and also, of course, Becca

wanted one.

Next up were the sea lions that Gretchen had requested. The children

all laughed when they barked like dogs, and when they caught fish in

their mouths, then dove into the water for a little swim.

They'd almost reached the reptile house when Tommy shouted, "Look, a

carousel!" This time Dana didn't hesitate. She'd always loved those

herself as a child. And she knew with her current medication she

wouldn't get dizzy. So she was very happy to take them all for a

ride. She was able to get them onto horses that went up and

down as the carousel went round and the calliope played.

They were laughing so hard when they got off, that they had to stand

still a moment before they went on.

The boys were both fascinated by the snakes and lizards in the

reptile house. The rattlers and cobras are so big!" Gretchen said. So much bigger than a garter snake."

But they still had the butterfly garden to see. The number and

variety of butterflies were impressive. Jahzara explained again

about metamorphosis, and then told them that the colors of the

butterflies protected them, because they blended into the garden.

Even though there was more to see, Dana could tell they were all tiring.

"We'll come again soon," she promised.

"I hope I can go with you," Gretchen said.

The ride home was uneventful. The three younger children fell asleep

one by one, and Gretchen and Jahzara spoke quietly about the things

they'd seen.


	12. Chapters 23 and 24

_We're leaving tomorrow I the wind lets up. I'll try to post when I can._

Chapter 23. I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU

House had not had a great day at the hospital. Maybe he never had a

great day, but this one was particularly bad. Every time he walked

into his office, he was disappointed that a certain pretty little

face hadn't suddenly appeared. He even found himself wanting to see

the matching adult face, but tried not to go down that particular

path.

Still, he'd found excuse after excuse to call Cameron on the picture

phone. After all, he was consulting on her case, right? Yen had come

up with some suggestions for her and so had he. He spaced them out

just so that he could call 'one more time', and then another.

He'd taken more Novoprin than he'd been taking since Gretchen

entered his life, but it only dulled the leg pain, not his troubled

mind.

At five he headed home, but was reluctant to enter his empty

apartment. After all these years of living alone, in a little more

than a week he'd gotten used to having her there. More than Wilson

in the old days when his friend would stay for a while between wives.

This didn't bode well for next week when she'd really be gone. What

time did Dana say they'd be back?

Finally at seven he heard them at the door. Dana had walked Gretchen

in, but once he opened the door, she said, "Jahzara's in the FB and the kids are all asleep. I have to get them all home."

"Thanks, Aunt Dana," Gretchen called loudly after her. Dana turned

and said "Thank you. You were a big help with the others today."

Gretchen beamed.

"Hi, Dad. Miss me?" she asked brightly.

He scrunched up his face. "What? Were you gone? Didn't notice."

He wasn't a hugger. He didn't even know whether father's usually

hugged their nine-year-old daughters. But he was hit with an

overwhelming desire to hold her tight.

"I missed you too, Dad, but you're crushing me," she said, chuckling.

"So, what's for dinner?"

They ordered in their favorite Chinese dishes and as they ate,

Gretchen regaled House with tales of the trip to the zoo.

"Tommy was surprised that I liked the snakes. He said most girls are

afraid of them," she said at one point. "I don't know why anyone

would be afraid of them. They're very interesting, don't you think?"

"Snakes, huh? I suppose that next you'll be asking for a pet rattler,"

House replied.

"Oh, Dad!" She ate some more of her Hunan chicken. "Dad, what's wrong

with Tommy's legs? Can't you fix him?"

Did he have to tell her, like he'd told her mother, that he wasn't

God? "He has Muscular Dystrophy. It weakened the muscles in his legs.

The doctors were able to control the progress. Years ago, they

couldn't do that and it would eventually have led to respiratory

failure," he told her.

"You mean he wouldn't be able to breath?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"And he'd die?" she said in a hushed voice.

"Yeah. But, lucky for Tommy Wilson and others, they've come up with

gene therapies and new meds in recent years that can stop the

degeneration. They can't reverse the damage, but he goes for lots of

physiotherapy and that has helped him enough that, with the braces,

he can walk pretty well."

"That's why they have a pool, right?"

Boy, this kid was quick. "Yeah."

"Tommy's very brave," she stated. "He's not afraid to try anything."

"His parents encouraged him, and every success he has reenforces his

will to try."

Gretchen continued eating and thinking about her friend. House just

marveled once again at how her mind worked.

When they were cleaning up, that is tossing out the empty food

cartons, the phone rang. Gretchen saw it was her mother.

"Hi Mom," she said excitedly.

"Hi Sweetie. You're home." Cameron stated the obvious once more, then

realized she had to stop calling House's apartment 'home'. "How was

the zoo?" She knew before Gretchen spoke what she'd say.

"Outrageous. We had a great time. I hope I can go with them all again

the next time they go."

Cameron chuckled. No pressure, huh? She was not going to take the

bait. "Is your Dad nearby? I have something to tell him."

"Sure, just a minute." Gretchen handed the phone to House. "She wants

to talk to you."

"Hi" House said.

"House, I wanted to tell you that you were right," Cameron said.

"And when am I not right?" he said. "So what was I right about?"

"Jared Hoffman had a kidney infection. We've treated it and continued

the leukemia meds and radiation. He'd doing much better."

A smile crossed his face as he considered what she'd told him. "So,

you'll be able to come on Friday?"

"Looks that way," Cameron confirmed.

"Gretchen will be happy to hear it," he said.

"Put her back on so she can tell me all about her excursion today.

I'm sure you've had your ears talked off already." He could hear

the smile in her voice.

"Sure. Um, bye." He handed the phone to Gretchen before Cameron

could say goodbye.

"So, tell me all about it" Cameron told Gretchen. The girl was happy

to recount all the zoo trip highlights, and there were many. When

she finished, her mother said, "Sounds like you had a fantastic time.

I hope you thanked Mrs. Foreman. Um, you must be tired. Goodnight,

Gretchen. See you Friday."

"See you Friday. Night Mom."

Not long after she disconnected, the phone rang again. This time, the

caller ID said: House, John.

Puzzled, Gretchen answered, "House residence, Gretchen speaking."

"Uh, hello? Is Dr. Gregory House there? May I speak with him?" the

woman's voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Hold on." Gretchen started to hand the phone to her father, then

remembered to ask, "Who's calling?"

"Dad, it's a lady for you. She says she's your mother," Gretchen said

as she finally handed House the phone.

"Thanks, kiddo," he told her. He took the phone, took a breath, and

said, "Hello, Mom?"

"Gregory, who was that child?" Blythe House asked.

"That was Gretchen. My daughter," he said bluntly. He was going to

make a joke about a hooker, but thought better of it. She'd still

be shocked, but what was the alternative? She'd find out soon enough.

"But you don't have a daughter," Blythe said. She was definitely

shocked.

"Yes I do. She's nine, light brown hair, blue eyes. She's staying with me

for two weeks."

"But how did this happen?" Blythe couldn't comprehend what he was

telling her.

"The usual way. See, the man..."

"That's not what I meant. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, I could say, because you never asked or that it was none of

your business, but that would've been a lie. The truth is I didn't

know until a couple of weeks ago."

His father grabbed the phone. "Now see here, Gregory, don't you go

lying to your mother like that, shocking the bejeezus out of her."

"It's not a lie," he said. 'Here it comes' he thought.

"So, who's the mother? One of your hookers or that Stacy person? I

never liked her."

"No. But come to think of it, you met her when you visited ten,

eleven years ago. Allison Cameron."

"You mean that pretty little girl? My word, son, what were you

thinking?"

"Since it happened ten years ago, I couldn't really tell you," he

said. "Just accept the fact that you have a beautiful, intelligent

and talented granddaughter."

"How do you even know you're the father?" John House asked.

"Believe me, I know" he said angrily. He forced himself to calm down.

"Now put Mom back on. I presume she had a reason to call."

Blythe came back on the line. "Greg, we're making another trip to

Europe. It might be our last one. But we wanted to stop and see you

on the way." She hesitated. "I guess now I'd like to meet my

granddaughter."

House's mind quickly ran through all the possible scenarios, none of

them particularly viable. "She's leaving on Sunday."

"Well, then, that's perfect. Our flight to London is on Sunday. We

can fly into Newark on Saturday and spend the afternoon with you

both." She had it all planned.

'And Cameron' House thought. 'How's that gonna play out?' but all he

said was, "Of course. Should I pick you up at the airport?"

"No, dear, don't bother. We'll rent a car."

"Right." He sighed again, deeply. Not the way he wanted to spend his

last weekend with Gretchen. And Cameron.

Chapter 24. WE'VE GOT A LIFETIME TO SHARE

Cameron had a call to make the next morning. She'd been thinking

about it since she'd returned from New Jersey on Sunday night.

"Hi Sandy, it's Allison Cameron," she told her lawyer when his

secretary connected them.

"Hi Allison. How've you been?" Sandy Gelman was a friendly man in

his early 60's. He'd handled Cameron's divorce, as well as other

personal legal matters for her over the years.

"I'm fine," she said. "I just had some legal questions I'd like to ask

and I think I can trust your judgment."

"Nothing urgent, I trust?"

"No, no. Maybe I'd better just tell you what I need to know." She

knew what she wanted to ask, but wasn't sure of how to phrase it.

"OK." He waited for her to begin.

"Sandy, Gretchen's still using Chuck's name, even though he never

adopted her. Her legal name on her birth certificate is Gretchen

Cameron, but when she registered for school I was married to Chuck

and we were talking about adoption."

"I remember. So you want her to go back to her legal name? That's

no problem," the lawyer told her.

"Well, there's more to it than that. Her biological father is also

listed on her birth certificate," she said.

"I thought he didn't even know about her." Sandy was now puzzled.

He wasn't sure what she was getting at.

"I'm not explaining this well," Cameron admitted. "Her father knows

about her. In fact, she's been staying with him for more than a

week."

"You're afraid he'll sue for custody?"

"No!" She hadn't even thought of that, but thinking about it now, she

repeated, "No. I don't think so. He adores her and she's crazy about

him, but I don't think he'd...I...I wouldn't mind if he wanted joint

custody as long as it didn't interfere with her school schedule. It's

the right thing to do. I mean I want him to be able to see her as

much as he wants," she ended. She took a breath to calm herself. "OK,

what I really need to know is whether she can use his name. Legally.

I mean if that's what they want." There, she finally got it all

out.

Sandy chuckled. "Is that all? Well if he's listed as her biological

father, that shouldn't be a problem at all."

"Good," Cameron said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Sandy. I'll

talk to you again soon. Bye."

"I don't know what time they're coming," Gretchen was telling her

mother when House entered his office later that day. "Sometime

Saturday." She saw her father. "Dad, I was just telling Mom about

your parents. That's OK, isn't it?" She realized she should've asked

first, but her mother would have to find out soon enough.

"Sure, kiddo," he said. He came closer to the picture phone. "They're

flying in sometime Saturday," he told Cameron. She could tell he was

trying to dismiss it. "Said they'd call when they got to the airport,

then rent a car and drive down."

"House, are you OK with this?"

"Do I have a choice?" he asked angrily, then closed his eyes. She

hadn't heard this bitterness in his voice for a long time.

"Maybe it'd be better if I waited until Sunday to drive down," she

offered.

"No!" His vehemence surprised her. She stared at him, trying to

penetrate his mind.

"OK, we'll do this together," she said. She saw the relief in his

eyes. Then she smiled "You know, we have a secret weapon."

He looked at Gretchen, standing next to him and listening to the

conversation. "That'll work on my mother, but she's not the problem.

I don't want Gretchen to have to deal with my father at his worst."

Cameron could see that Gretchen was trying to understand what they

were talking about. "You'll have to tell her about him. If she's

warned she can cope with his 'worst'. Who knows? Maybe we'll all be

surprised."

House shook his head. "I don't have much hope of that. And I don't

know what he may say to you. Allison, he can be very hurtful."

"I put up with you for two years. I guess I can bear it."

"You knew I wasn't serious, well not most of the time," he said.

Then began to wonder. "Didn't you?"

"Sometimes it was hard for me to tell," she admitted.

"I'm sorry," he practically whispered. He'd never realized how his

remarks affected her.

"It's in the past," she said, trying to shake the memories of his

taunts. "We'll do this together," she repeated. "The three of us."

"Thank you," he said quietly. "Bye Al..." he swallowed "...Cameron."

"Don't pull back now," she warned. "Bye Greg." Then she called out

to her daughter "Bye Gretchen. Love you both," and disconnected.


	13. Chapters 25 and 26

I wanted to post two chapters while I have Internet access.

**Chapter 25. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?**

At 6:30 Friday evening, the phone rang and Gretchen immediately

picked it up.

"Hi Mom. Will you be here soon?" she asked.

"Sweetie, I left later than I thought I would and traffic's terrible.

Maybe another hour."

"Oh," a disappointed Gretchen uttered. "Dad, she won't be here for a

whole 'nother hour!" she called out.

"Kiddo, you've waited this long, you can wait," he said.

"Yeah, but..."

House took the phone. "Traffic bad?"

"Yes. I'm just passing the G.W. Why don't you two eat without me?"

Cameron suggested.

"We'll get something for you and you can eat it when you get here,"

House agreed, trying hard not to let either Cameron or Gretchen

notice how impatient he was.

"OK. I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Just get here safe," he found himself saying, rather ungrammatically.

He disconnected, then turned to Gretchen. "So, what's it gonna be.

And do NOT say pizza."

She giggled. "OK. How 'bout burritos?"

"Your Mom doesn't really like them," House said.

"How do you know?" She didn't wait for an answer. "We can get her

some cheese enchiladas."

"Deal," he agreeed.

A little over an hour later, Cameron finally rang the bell of

apartment B.

"Mom!" Gretchen opened the door and practically jumped into her arms.

They hugged - the kind of hug parents and young children exchange

after a long time apart.

Cameron didn't wait for an invitation, but walked immediately to

House, put her arms around him, and embraced him too. The welcoming

hug she received in exchange made the long trip worthwhile. And when

his arm pressed her body closer, she felt the physical need that

matched her own.

"We got you an enchilada," Gretchen said.

House and Cameron smiled at each other and finally let go, but they

were both slightly shaken by what they'd just felt.

"That's great," Cameron managed to say, her voice higher pitched than

normal.

"I'll reheat it," Gretchen volunteered.

Cameron chuckled and sat down at the table. House soon joined her to

watch her eat and finish his beer.

Once she'd been revived by food and a glass of fresh-brewed iced tea

("Who made this?" Cameron had asked. Gretchen's answer astounded her.

"Dad. He thought you'd like some."), she said, "There's something I'd

like to run by both of you. I think we all have to agree on this

decision."

Gretchen wondered excitedly whether they were moving to New Jersey.

"It's about Gretchen's name," Cameron continued.

"My name's Gretchen," the girl said. Who cared about a name?

"But you've been using Gretchen Fowler at school and that's not your

legal name," Cameron corrected. "There are a few options." She reached

into her purse and took out a 5 X 7 sheet of plastic. "This is

Gretchen's birth certificate." She handed it to House. Gretchen

walked over to stand behind his chair and look at it over his

shoulder.

"Her middle name's Rose?" House said. He'd read it all, but decided

to focus on that to hide his astonishment that he was listed, legally

as her father. What was Cameron getting at here? And what rights do

I have?

"So you can use Cameron or House," her mother told her.

"It's more than just her name that's an issue, isn't it?" House

asked. "I'd never demand custody, you know." He looked intently at

Cameron.

She smiled at him. "I know, but if you want joint custody..."

Suddenly Gretchen exploded. "Why are we talking about my name and

about custody? Why can't we just all be together?"

"Oh, Gretchen, it's not that simple," Cameron responded, unsure of how

to handle the child's response.

"You love me, don't you?" the girl asked.

"Of course!" Cameron replied.

"Dad, do you?"

"You know I do," he said, but thought 'here it comes.'

"Mom, you love Dad, too?"

Cameron had to tell the truth. "Yes," she whispered. She just hoped

Gretchen would stop there, didn't put House on the spot. No such

luck.

"Dad?"

"What?"

"You know what I'm asking."

Cameron interjected almost desperately, "Gretchen, what difference

does it make?"

"Allison, it's OK," House said. He turned to his daughter. "Yes," he

said simply. "But loving each other isn't enough. There are so many

other factors. You're Mom said it - it's not simple. In fact, it's

very complicated."

"Don't say I'm too young to understand, because I'm not. You can at

least try to make it work. Both of you," she practically shouted,

her lower lip trembling.

House stood and put his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Gretchen,

please be patient with us. You may not realize it, but we are

trying." He could feel Cameron's eyes staring at him, still shaken

by the admissions he'd been making. "We know what you want," he

continued. "But if you're old enough to understand, you're also old

enough to know you can't always get what you want."

Cameron stood up, too, right next to him and put her arm around his

waist as they watched their daughter.

"I know," Gretchen said innocently. "But the next line says 'But if

you try, sometimes you get what you need'."

House and Cameron looked at each other. What did they need and was it

time they did something about it?

**Chapter 26. COME SAIL AWAY**

"I almost forgot," Cameron said, breaking the mood. "I brought a video

of Gretchen as a baby and toddler."

"Mom!" Gretchen cried. "Did you have to?"

"Don't you want your Dad to see what you looked like?" Cameron

rummaged in her suitcase and came out with a disc. House put it in

his TV and started it.

"You really were cute once," he told Gretchen, looking at the ultra-

sound pictures of Gretchen in utero. "Whatever happened?"

"Dad!" she said. "See what you started?" she asked her mother. Both

of her parents ignored her.

"What, are those the only pictures from before she was born?" The

video had progressed to pictures of an adorable infant with very

blue eyes.

"Just the ultrasounds." Cameron realized House was expecting to see

pictures of her when she was pregnant. "I looked like I had a

basketball attached to the front of me. It was NOT pretty."

"You were probably beautiful," House said wistfully, then covered the

remark by saying, "What was Gretchen's first word? And don't tell me

it was 'Outrageous'." They all laughed.

"No, oddly enough, it was 'up'. She really liked being held, lifted

high and swung around," Cameron told him.

House, Gretchen and Cameron sat side by side on the couch watching

the antics of the infant, then the toddler Gretchen had been. When

the video was over, House said simply, "Thanks, Cameron." No sarcasm,

no jokes, no insults.

She smiled at him. "You're welcome." But Gretchen wasn't satisfied.

"Mom, did I really suck my whole fist?" she asked.

Cameron laughed. "I'm afraid one finger wasn't enough for you. And you

know what? When I was a baby I did that too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," her mother confirmed. "Now, it's time for bed. We've

got a big day tomorrow."

"Did you have to remind us? You really know how to spoil a mood,"

House whined to Cameron, as Gretchen reluctantly went off to get

ready for bed.

House and Cameron were still sitting on the couch, a Gretchen-sized

space between them. House moved a little closer. "Think you can

ease the pain?"

Cameron understood what he meant. She moved the rest of the way

towards him and put her hand on his scruffy cheek. "What'd you have

in mind, big guy?" She tried to make it sound sultry, but that wasn't

her style and House just laughed. Still, he reached a hand up to push

an imaginary hair away from her face, then leaned over and kissed her

lightly. "I know what I want, what I need, but I'm not gonna force

you," he said.

She looked into his eyes. It had been an emotional evening. She knew

she'd been fighting her own needs since she'd seen him again. OK,

who was she kidding? She'd needed him much longer than that.

Just then, Gretchen came out of the bathroom, holding a tiny bottle

of shampoo. "Mom, do you have any more of this?" She saw her parents

on the couch, walked over to stand in front of them and, putting her

hands on her hips, said, "If you two are gonna make out, could you

please take it to the bedroom?"

House managed a fake sheepish look and said, "Yes, Mom."

Cameron had a harder time, but finally said, "There's another one of

those in my suitcase." She forced herself up and found the bottle

for Gretchen. House stood, too, and they watched the girl go off

again.

"Allison?"

She looked at his expectant face, as she tried to think rationally

but it was no use. All she could do was say, "Yes."

He took her hand and led her into the bedroom. Once they were there

he turned to face her and, with his deft fingers, began to open the

buttons of her blouse. She stared at him a long time, at least a

minute, then returned the favor, lifting his t-shirt over his head.

She felt his hands caress her body, and it took all of her strength

not to moan with pleasure. They'd spent just one night ten years

before learning each other's sensitive points, but it all came back

to them as they began to explore again. He forgot about the pain in

his leg from standing so long without his cane to support him, but

sensing his discomfort, she pulled him towards the bed.

Their lovemaking was passionate but not frantic, eager but not

rushed. Afterward, Cameron snuggled against House and whispered,

"You definitely haven't lost your touch."

He smiled at her, kissed her forehead and then her lips. "Neither

have you."

When Cameron woke the next morning, she felt happier than she ever

had in her life. She glanced over at House, lying beside her. He

looked...what?...contented! He opened his eyes and looked at her

with such tenderness, that her eyes began to fill.

"Morning," she said, smiling at him, then wrapped her arm around his

chest and snuggled her head against his shoulder.

"Mmmm," he replied. He was marveling over the fact that he had

actually made someone extremely happy.

"You're the best," she said.

"Don't have the stamina I used to."

"There were no signs of that last night."

He smiled, but there was suddenly some sadness in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Worried about your parents' visit?"

"Nah. We'll get through that," he said. "I'm just not looking forward

to you and the squirt leaving tomorrow."

"Oh, Greg!" She hadn't really thought about how he'd feel with them

both gone. After a minute she said, "What are you doing Labor Day

weekend?"

"Well, I had hookers booked for all three days," he quipped. "I mean

having Gretchen here has cramped my style."

She smirked. "Why don't you come to Albany for a visit?"

He considered the invitation. It actually played right into his plans

so he smiled again, wiggled his eyebrows, and asked, "A visit with

privileges?"

"Could be," she teased.

"Hmmm," he sighed as he pulled her even closer and began to caress

her one more time.


	14. Chapters 27 and 28

**Chapter 27. SMILE TO SHINE**

Cameron slipped out of bed quietly, since House appeared to be

sleeping again. She smiled to herself as she made her way out to the

living room wearing one of his button-down shirts and her panties.

She hoped she could retrieve her suitcase without waking Gretchen,

but the child was already awake, lying on the couch and reading a

book on her palmreader.

"Morning Mom," she said brightly.

Cameron had been concerned with how she'd take their change in

sleeping arrangements. "I just want to get some of my things and take

a shower," Cameron said.

"OK," Gretchen said nonchalantly, but she was watching her mother's

face. There was a sparkle in her eyes that Gretchen had never seen

before. Was her mother happy? She hoped so.

Cameron left, her arms full of clothes and toiletries. She probably

should have just taken the entire suitcase into the bedroom before she went to the bathroom. Time for that later.

When Cameron returned to the bedroom twenty minutes later, freshly

showered and wearing her own shorts and top, House was awake. She

folded his shirt and put it on the dresser, then sat on the edge of

the bed.

"Hmmm, you smell good," House said with an exaggerated intake of breath. "Guess I don't smell quite so good."

She smiled at him. "You smell a little of sex, and a little of sweat

but mostly you smell like Gregory House."

"Is that a good thing?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah." She kissed him. "You taste like Gregory House, too," she

said as she hugged him. "You even feel like Gregory House."

"I'm sensing some kind of theme here," he quipped.

"Well, you know how much I love Gregory House," she said.

"It's taken me a while, but I guess I really do." He pulled her

closer. "Thank you, Allison," he whispered in her ear.

"Good morning, sleepyheads," Gretchen greeted her parents when they finally

emerged. "I made the coffee, but I didn't know what else you want."

Cameron chuckled. "Thanks, sweetheart. I'll make some eggs." She

planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead. She had such a sense of

well-being.

Gretchen grinned at the smiles on her parents faces.

When they finished breakfast, Gretchen asked her father, "Why don't

we show Mom what we've been working on?"

"Sure," House readily agreed.

"Mom, leave the dishes, and sit on the couch. You can be our audience

of one."

House and Gretchen sat down on the piano bench. And began to play

'Kansas City Stomp'. As they moved on to 'Jelly Roll Blues',

Cameron knew what it meant to kvell. They were so in tune with one

another, they both played so well, and they were enjoying themselves.

Afterwards, she hugged them each, but eventually they found

themselves in a huddle-like group hug.

"So what's the game plan?" Cameron asked.

House cracked up.

"What's so funny?" Gretchen wanted to know.

"Your mother, who's told me a number of times how much she hates

sports metaphors, just used one."

"I did, didn't I?" Cameron said, grinning, amazed at herself.

But before they could discuss how they'd handle their visitors, the

doorbell rang. Gretchen ran to the door. Cameron moved to stand with

her as she opened it on House's parents. They looked at Gretchen

and Cameron, who took the lead. "Mr. and Mrs. House, it's nice to

see you again after all these years."

"Nice?" John House asked through a sneer.

Cameron ignored him. "This is Gretchen, your granddaughter."

Gretchen looked at them, not knowing what to expect. House had limped

up behind her, anxious himself to see their response.

Blythe House said, "Dr. Cameron, right? Hello Gretchen."

They walked into the crowded living room and looked around. They'd

only been to their son's apartment a few times before. Nothing seemed

to have changed.

And then, John asked his son, "What's she doing here?", indicating

Cameron.

**Chapter 28. MEET THE GRANDPARENTS**

No one spoke until John repeated, "What is she doing here?"

Cameron saw House glaring at his father and Gretchen watching him

warily. She needed to break the tension.

"Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea?" she asked.

"Coffee will be fine," Blythe responded. She followed Cameron into the

kitchen. There were questions she had for this young woman. "Dr.

Cameron..."

"Allison, please," Cameron corrected.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to call you that. I still don't understand

why you kept the child from Greg for so long, and why you never even

told him about her."

Cameron sighed. "Mrs. House, how well do you know your son?" she

asked, as she filled the coffeemaker with water. She waited until the

beans were ground before she continued. "Greg has a great deal of

difficulty loving anyone. He pushes everyone away by his words and

his actions. Do you know how that would affect a child who only wants

a father's love?" She paused. "Of course you do. Gregg's behavior is

partly a reflection of how his father treated him."

"John never..." Blythe began.

Cameron held up her hand. "Yes he did. He still does." She let Blythe

think that through.

"But Greg seems to love the child," Blythe finally said.

"The child's name, your granddaughter's name is Gretchen. And yes, he does

love her. I think he's as amazed by that as I am."

"So what do you want with him now?" Blythe asked.

"I want what I've always wanted. To bring him some happiness, a bit

of joy, some measure of peace for his troubled soul."

"You love him." It was a statement, not a question, but there was

amazement too.

A simple "Yes".

The coffee was done and Cameron poured four cups. "What do you take

in yours?"

The glaring contest in the living room had continued. John sat on

the couch and every once in a while he'd throw out an accusation.

Sitting on the piano bench, House would try to deflect it.

"So you're letting her stay here this weekend?" John asked. "Did you

at least get lucky?"

"That's none of your business," his son replied heatedly.

"Which means she wouldn't put out for you. Figures. What would a

beautiful young woman like that want with you?" the taunt continued.

Gretchen had had enough. "Stop it!" she cried. "My Mom and Dad love

each other."

"And what kind of fairy tale are you living in, child?" her grand-

father asked.

"I'm not living in a fairy tale," she replied. "I know what's real.

What's real is that my Mom's a wonderful mother and I love her and

she loves me, too. But I always wanted a Dad. What's real is that I'm

just getting to know my Dad but he's a great father and I love him,

too, and he loves me. What's real is that I always wanted to have

grandparents, and I thought since you're my grandfather, you might

want the job. I guess I was wrong about that one."

"She's mouthy, isn't she?" John asked House, who was staring at his

daughter with a mix of admiration and amazement. "Guess she's yours

after all."

Gretchen sat down on the piano bench next to her father and her glare

matched his, but she relaxed when she felt House put an arm around

her and squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled.

House finally had to speak. "It's up to you whether you want to be

a part of your granddaughter's life. But I will never let you treat

her, or her mother, the way you've treated me," he said in a measured

firm voice.

"Bah!" was John's only response. "Don't tell me how to act."

The women returned from the kitchen.

John stood and told his wife, "Blythe, we're leaving."

For almost sixty years, Blythe House had done as her husband said,

and wouldn't, couldn't stop now. Still, she hadn't had a chance to

talk to her granddaughter, or her son either, so she said, "Allison

made us some coffee. It's only polite that we stay to drink it."

John looked at her as if she'd just betrayed him.

"I would like to at least talk to Gretchen and Greg a little," she

pleaded. "Just sit and drink your coffee."

He finally agreed that they could stay a little longer, but it was

evident that he wasn't at all happy about it.


	15. Chapters 29 and 30

**Chapter 29. MEET THE GRANDPARENTS - 2**

John sat on the edge of the couch, holding his cup and staring

into it. His wife sat back, sipping at her coffee. "Gretchen, why

don't you sit here and talk to me," she invited.

Gretchen glanced at her father and saw a barely perceptible nod, then

she looked at her mother, who was more openly encouraging her.

"OK," she said, as she got up from the bench and moved to sit by her

grandmother. She smiled tentatively at Blythe and said, "Dad told me

you were going to Europe. I've never been, but maybe someday we'll

go."

"We're going to see friends in Italy. Your grandfather served with

Bob in the marines and now he and his wife live in Florence."

"Well, I hope you have a good time," the girl said politely, but also

sincerely.

"I'm sure we will," Blythe said.

"Will you send me a postcard?" Gretchen requested. "I love getting

postcards."

"Of course." Her grandmother smiled at her. This wasn't so difficult.

She tried to think of something to ask. There was always the usual.

"So, tell me, when do you start school again?"

There wasn't another sound in the room. Three pairs of eyes were

watching the exchange between the girl and the old woman. House,

Cameron and John were each thinking their own thoughts.

"We start Thursday. That's why Mom's taking me back to Albany

tomorrow."

"You live in Albany?" Blythe asked.

"Yeah. Mom's head of the Infectious Disease Department at Albany

Children's Hospital," Gretchen replied proudly.

Blythe looked at Cameron. She hadn't realized the young woman had

such a responsible position, and it also explained why Greg hadn't

known she had a child, his child.

Gretchen went on, "But Mom says Dad's gonna visit us next weekend."

She looked at her parents for confirmation and saw they were smiling.

"That'll make it a little easier to leave, right Mom?"

"A little," Cameron agreed. "Why don't you and your Dad play your duet

for your grandparents?" she suggested.

"I'd love to hear them play," Blythe said enthusiastically. But John

felt he had to say, "That's all he's good for, playing the piano!"

He'd been quiet for so long, but everyone was very aware he was

still there.

"Oh, John, you don't mean that!" Blythe exclaimed.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

"Kiddo, let's show 'em," House said, winking at his daughter and

ignoring his father.

Gretchen was only too happy to do that. She, too, ignored her

grandfather, and told her grandmother, "Dad showed me how to play

this a few days ago. We've been practicing." She moved back to the

piano bench and they began to play.

The smile on Blythe's face broadened. She saw that Cameron was

smiling too. John, of course continued to scowl. But she'd known

him a long time, and she could see that cracks were forming in his

obstinate resolve to not like this child. When Gretchen and House

finished playing, all Blythe could say was, "That was wonderful! You

play very well Gretchen."

"I've only been playing for a couple of years," she responded. "But

I learned soooo much from Dad. Wait until my piano teacher hears me!"

She sat on the couch next to her grandmother again. "Can you stay and

have dinner with us?" she asked. She wasn't sure her parents would

like this idea, but she was becoming comfortable with her grandmother

and wanted to keep her around for a while longer, even if it meant

putting up with her grandfather.

"Why don't we take you all out for dinner?" Blythe suggested.

"No! I absolutely draw the line at that! I thought we were leaving

after you drank your coffee," John practically shouted.

"And I thought we agreed that we wanted to see our son and spend time

getting to know our granddaughter," Blythe said quietly. "Please,

John. And don't tell me you don't want to spend more time with the

child."

House looked at his mother in amazement. His father was staring at

her too, then looked at each of them in turn: Gretchen, his son and

Cameron. He sighed. Maybe he was getting too old to fight.

"All right," John said. "But no fast food!"

They all actually laughed at that. It lightened the mood a little.

"There's a good steak place not too far away," House suggested. He

knew his father was a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. Although he'd

spent many years abroad, he'd never gotten used to anything but good

old American food.

John studied him a minute, then said, "Sounds good."

They drove to the restaurant in the senior House's rental car. They

were seated almost immediately. Service was good and they were soon

eating salads and fresh baked bread.

Something was still puzzling Blythe, so she asked, "Greg, are you

really going to Albany next weekend?"

House tried to think of something clever to say, but all he could

come up with was, "Yes."

"I want to show him my school and introduce him to my best friend

Emily," Gretchen said. "Besides, we're gonna miss him, aren't we Mom?"

"Yes, we are Sweetie," Cameron said. Her eyes locked with House's.

They were all silent after that. Blythe thought over what Gretchen had said. "Oh, before I forget, Greg, your cousin Laura might be calling you this week," she said.

"Laura? What does she want?"

"Her son is starting his senior year in high school and they're

supposed to be visiting Princeton so he can decide whether

he wants to apply there," Blythe explained. "She said she'd call when

they were here, maybe see you."

"I haven't seen her in twenty or thirty years!" he exclaimed. "And I

never saw her much when we were younger."

"Greg, she's family."

"Yes, Mom," he said resignedly.

"Don't disrespect your mother," his father demanded. House just rolled

his eyes. Had anything really changed?

**Chapter 30. MEET THE GRANDPARENTS - 3**

House studied his father. How could he have ever expected that

meeting Gretchen would have changed the man? He'd told Cameron that

it wouldn't, yet he'd still hoped. Was he becoming an optimist?

He shifted his concentration to Gretchen and his mother. Yes, the

girl had some of his better traits, and some of Cameron's, but she

was so much more open than either of them. He'd never been like that.

Was Cameron, as a child? Before the tragedies in her life? Gretchen

was telling his mother about her trip to the zoo with Foreman's wife

and their kids and little Tommy Wilson.

"We even got to ride on camels," Gretchen said.

"That must have been fun," Blythe said. "Your father rode one when we

were in Egypt one year."

"Did you really, Dad?" Gretchen asked.

"Yup," he responded. "Smelly beast and very cantankerous."

Gretchen laughed. "Well, the ones at the zoo were pretty tame and

they smelled OK."

"Allison, I do hope you'll let us come visit Gretchen in Albany some

time," Blythe requested.

Cameron seemed surprised at the request. "She's your granddaughter.

I...I'm glad you want to see her again."

"Guess Greg's not about to fight you for custody," John said.

"Oh, John, Allison's done an excellent job of raising the child. I'm

sure Greg agrees that she should continue to care for her," Blythe

said.

"Actually, we've talked a little about joint custody," Cameron told

them.

Both House and Cameron could see that Gretchen wanted to tell her

grandparents that she wanted them all to be together, and was trying

hard not to say anything. Finally she said, "We all like to spend

time together."

John and Blythe exchanged a look. She was just puzzled but John

seemed dismayed.

"This is as new to us as it is to you," Cameron tried to explain.

"We're still trying to decide what's best."

"What's best for you, you mean," John said.

"No, what's best for all of us, but particularly Gretchen," she said.

"And we all know that's something you'll never understand," House

told his father. "Doing things in a child's best interest."

"Why, everything I did was in your best interest," John insisted.

"You just never appreciated it!" The tension between the two of them

that had been simmering was about to explode.

"Well, I'm sure we all want Gretchen to be happy," Blythe said. It

was kind of banal, but diverted the two men.

They'd finished dinner, and were ready to leave the restaurant.

"We'll drop you off and then go on to our motel. We've got an early

flight in the morning," John said.

When they arrived at House's place, John did not get out, but Blythe

did. She hugged Gretchen, said she'd send postcards and call her.

Then she hugged Cameron. House had been surprised at how his mother

had accepted her. Finally, she hugged him and whispered in his ear,

"You have a wonderful daughter. Thank you for letting me meet her."

"Bye, Mom," he whispered back, then aloud said, "Have a good trip."

"I guess it could have been worse," Cameron said, when the three of

them were alone again.

"You both handled that better than I ever have," House said, smirking

at his two girls.

"Greg, you're too close and you were exposed to your father's taunts

for all of your childhood," Cameron told him. "What we just went

through with him can't compare."

"But did he have to be so mean, Dad?" Gretchen asked.

"That's one puzzle I've never solved," House replied.

"Well, Grandma's very nice," Gretchen declared.

"Yes, she is," Cameron agreed.

"What did you and my mother talk about when you were alone?" he

asked.

"I explained why I hadn't told you about Gretchen," Cameron said.

"And she understood?"

"Yes," then she added "And I told her I love you."

He kissed her forehead, then he kissed Gretchen's and said, "OK,

girls, what's on the agenda for this evening?" The grin on his face

showed his relief that they'd gotten through the visit largely

undamaged.


	16. Chapters 31 and 32

_I'm home now and I should be able to post every other day again. Here are the next two chapters._

**Chapter 31. GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN**

Cameron woke on Sunday with just two thoughts. She and Gretchen had

another day with House before they went back to Albany. Then again she and

Gretchen had _only _one day with House before they left. Well she was

going to make the most of it.

She felt House's hand reaching for her and turned into his embrace.

"Morning," she purred. She saw the smile that it brought to his lips

before she kissed him.

"Time for a quicky?" he asked, doing his eyebrow thing.

Cameron laughed. "What's it worth to you, big guy?"

He didn't answer, just held her tightly and closed his eyes. How

could he stretch this day to get in all he wanted to do with this

woman?

Sensing where his mind was, she said, "Let's make the most of today.

And Friday will come before you know it." She kissed him again.

His magic fingers slid down her body, applying pressure here and

there, until she sighed a languid, sensual sigh, and began to press

her body against his.

An hour later they joined Gretchen in the living room. They had a

leisurely breakfast, and as they were finishing, Cameron asked,

"Did you ever take Gretchen for a ride on your bike?"

"Nah. I haven't ridden that thing much recently." House tried to

think of the last time he'd had it out on the road.

"Well, don't you think it's time?" she asked.

Gretchen was watching them. What bike were they talking about? She

couldn't picture her father on a bicycle, not with his bad leg.

"OK." House came to a decision. "I picked up an extra helmet at one

point...wonder what I did..." He opened the overflowing hall closet

and began to rummage through it. Something fell from the top shelf

as he moved the mess underneath, and there it was. "OK, kiddo. You

are in for a treat." Then he stopped and looked at Cameron. "You

don't mind if we're gone for an hour or so?"

She was chuckling. "Just as long as the two of you enjoy your ride."

They rode around the neighborhood for a while so that Gretchen could

get comfortable, sitting behind her dad, holding on to him. Then

House thought it was time for a little more speed and drove out into

the country.

It was a typical end-of-summer day. Gretchen could feel the warm air

rushing across her arms as they sped down the road. After twenty

minutes they turned around and headed back. As they neared home,

they passed a park and Gretchen suddenly shouted, "Stop!"

House was so startled he did what she said, braking and pulling over

to a curb.

"I just saw George," the girl told him. "Let's go back. I want to say

hello."

"George?" House asked.

"You know, the basset hound we saw at the bakery last week."

"Oh, THAT George." He looked at her expectant face and turned the

bike around. When they got back to the park, he saw the dog and

pulled over again. House and Gretchen got off the bike and approached

him. He was with the same young woman as the previous week.

Gretchen went immediately to the dog. "Hi, George," she said as she

began to pet him. He seemed to know her.

"Hope you don't mind," House told the young woman. "My daughter is

very taken with your dog."

"He's wonderful," she said. "By the way, my name's Daisy."

"I'm Greg House and that's my daughter, Gretchen." He found he liked

saying that. 'My daughter Gretchen'. "After she met George last week

she decided she wanted a dog, too, then decided she'd settle for a

baby brother."

Daisy laughed. "A friend of mine has some basset puppies, if you're

interested. One of them will probably look just like George when he's

grown."

House filed that piece of information away in his mind, but said,

"Sorry, we told her no."

They watched Gretchen with the dog for a few minutes, then House

called, "Gretchen, your mom's waiting for us."

"OK. Bye, George. I hope I see you soon again." She joined her dad

as he walked back to the bike. They put on their helmets, and drove

home.

They spent the rest of the day doing what they all enjoyed: playing

video games, watching a movie, and eating. House and Gretchen played the

piano together while Cameron watched. The three of them tried to

prolong the time until the moment when Cameron and Gretchen would

have to leave, but eventually they couldn't wait any longer.

"Where's my palmreader?" Gretchen said as she packed up her things.

"I saw it on the couch," House said.

"Look between the cushions," Cameron told her.

"Got it!"

"Do you have your new sandals?" Cameron asked.

"There on my feet!" Gretchen said.

"Oh, right."

Finally, they seemed to have everything. Gretchen put her arms around

her father's neck and pressed her face into his chest. "I'm gonna

miss you sooooo much!" came her muffled voice.

He lifted her face and kissed her nose, then her forehead. "You'll

be so busy, you'll probably forget all about me."

"Never!" she said.

Then it was Cameron's turn. She tried rather unsuccessfully to keep

the tears to a minimum as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank

you for the best weekend and for, well, you know." She kissed him.

"I'm gonna miss you, too. I'll count the minutes 'til Friday."

He looked into her glistening eyes and felt his heart rate rise.

He ran a finger down one cheek as he tried to memorize every inch

of her face. "Thank you for waiting so long for me to realize what

you mean to me." His voice seemed to catch. "You take care of

yourself and the squirt." He couldn't bring himself to say good-bye,

so he just said, "Au revoir, Allie."

She nodded in understanding. "See you soon, Greg. I love you." She

slowly let go and pulled away, then turned and grabbed her suitcase

before the tears began to fall.

"Bye, Dad. See ya later, alligator!" Gretchen called as she followed

her mother out the door.

**Chapter 32. LATE AT NIGHT A BIG OLD HOUSE GETS LONELY**

House sat alone, nursing a glass of scotch. It was so quiet in his

apartment. Had it been like this B.G. (before Gretchen)? He couldn't

even remember.

He'd always liked to be alone, had no real use for other people.

He thought about what Cameron had said, that he actually pushed

people away.

He knew he demanded a lot from others, was hard on them when they

didn't measure up. Was he that much like his father? How much was

genetic and how much just habit? He thought his father at 80 was too

old and too set in his ways to change. At 57 could he still change?

Did he even want to?

Cameron had also said he found it difficult to love anyone, but he'd

learned over the past weeks that he could love someone, maybe even

two someones.

Still, he had a rep to uphold. People expected his snark, his crude

and often politically incorrect comments, his sarcasm. He wasn't

sure he wanted to change that.

He sat at the piano and started to play 'Moonlight Sonata' but found

himself segueing into one of the pieces he'd played with Gretchen.

Clearly he couldn't go back to his existence B.G. Besides his

Novoprin, he needed his daily dose of that 9-year-old girl with the

piercing blue eyes. He smiled. Yeah, he could love someone.

Ah, but then there was the question of Dr. Allison Cameron. That was

so much more complicated. He knew he cared for her, probably always

had on some level. But did he love her, and if so, how much? He'd

been attracted to her from the day he interviewed her, but the sex

was so much better than he expected. And she'd grown into a stronger

and more accomplished woman than he ever could have imagined.

But she was still damaged, maybe not as much as he was, but still.

Could two people as damaged as they were build a strong and lasting

relationship?

Both the girl and the woman could cause his heart to race or to slow.

The muscles around his mouth had a mind of their own when he watched

them. He didn't just smile, he grinned.

He shook his head to clear it, but it was obvious they also caused an

increase in his serotonin and endorphin levels. He never remembered

feeling so good as when he was with either of them, and when it was

both? Euphoric!

So if 'love' was just a physiological, biochemical response to certain

stimuli, well he definitely was in love.

Right now, all he could feel was a sense of loss, a hollowness

because they were gone. He missed them. There, he admitted it, if

only to himself. How the mighty had fallen!

They should be home by now, shouldn't they? He looked at the phone,

willing it to ring. OK, he told himself, you gotta play this cool.

You will NOT answer the phone until, oh, say the third ring.

He drank down the last of the scotch in his glass and poured some

more. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers over the piano keys,

trying to bring back the comfort he used to get from playing. It

worked, but only a little.

He thought about his plan for the future. Was it the right thing to

do? How would it all play out?

The phone rang and he sprang to grab it before the first ring ended.


	17. Chapters 3334

_As promised, here are another couple of chapters. Those of you oldtimers might remember House's cousin Laura as Laura-from-the-Bronx who hung out on the original Fox boards and wrote House fanfics._

**Chapter 33. LIFE GOES ON**

Sullivan and Yen were surprised to find House in his office when they

arrived on Monday morning.

"What brings you in so early?" Sully asked as he joined them in the

conference room. "Do we have a new patient?"

House ignored the first question and just said "Nope" to the second

as he waited for one of them to make him some coffee.

Sullivan knew she shouldn't push him, but asked one more question.

"Did Gretchen and Dr. Cameron go home yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Not very talkative today," she said with a smile. He glared at her.

Sheffield came in with a file in his hand. "Dr. Cuddy wants us to

take this patient," he said.

"This better be good," House said, sighing. He took the file and was

surprised to find the case was even more interesting than the usual

ones Cuddy sent their way.

"OK, boy and girls. Differential diagnosis time."

A half hour later, the ducklings had dispersed to do House's bidding

and House himself was alone again in his office when his phone

buzzed.

"Hi Dad," Gretchen greeted him.

He could feel the involuntary grin begin and decided to just let it

be. "Hi Kvetch."

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked.

"The usual," he said, settling down to spend some quality time.

"You mean nothing?" she asked slyly.

"Ouch! Actually, we have a patient and I'm doing doctor stuff." He

saw the smile on her face and his smile just got broader.

"Ah-ha," she said. "Mom let me use her picture phone to call you."

"Now who's stating the obvious?"

Gretchen giggled.

Cameron was working at her desk not far away, content to listen to

them chatter. Her friend Clair appeared at the door. "Just wanted

to pop in and see how it went with House's parents," Clair said.

"As well as could be expected, I guess," Cameron told her. "But in

spite of that, we had a good weekend."

"Good or great?" Clair asked with a smirk.

Cameron blushed, but said, "None of your business!"

"You did, didn't you?" Clair was excited at the idea.

Cameron was about to deny it when Gretchen called, "Dad wants to talk

to you," and her whole face lit up. No way she could deny anything

now.

She walked over to where Gretchen was sitting, looked at the screen

and said, "Hi."

"Hi," House said.

"Looks like you were in early," Cameron observed, with a smile.

He brushed it off. "We have a new patient."

"But you didn't know that before you got there," she pressed.

He swallowed. "Cameron, what are you asking?"

"No reason to stay home, huh?"

He closed his eyes and grimaced. Might as well admit it. "You know

me even better than I thought," he said, opening his eyes.

Clair had moved up behind Cameron. She was curious about this man

that Allison and Gretchen were so crazy about.

"You have a visitor," House said, looking over Cameron's shoulder.

She turned and smiled at her friend. "Don't mind her. Just my nosy

best friend Clair."

"Emily's mother?" he asked, shocking Clair that he knew about them.

"Hi Clair," he called out. "Satisfied I don't have two heads or

horns? Guess you couldn't wait until the weekend to meet me."

"The weekend?" Clair's expression changed from one of amusement by

his remarks to puzzlement.

"Dad's coming to visit next weekend," Gretchen informed her. "Aren't

you?" she asked her father.

"You betcha!" he said.

"Oh, Dad, can you come on the bike so you can give Emily a ride?

It'd be totally outrageous!"

House hesitated. "That'll be up to her mother. She may not want her

precious child on a bike with a possible homicidal maniac."

"Maniac, maybe, but homicidal? Nah!" Cameron said with a smirk.

"Allison, you're ruining my image completely," he whined.

All she could do was laugh.

Clair had been watching the three of them like a three-sided tennis

match. This relationship had developed even more than she'd been

aware. Well, if Allison trusted him with her daughter, she could

with Emily. "Dr. House, I think Emily would love it."

"Your friend's OK," House told Cameron. "Look, I'll talk to you later.

I see Cuddy approaching and she's breathing fire. Gotta go."

"Bye, Greg," Cameron said.

"Bye, Dad," Gretchen added.

**Chapter 34. ISN'T SHE LOVELY**

House finally returned to his office from the clinic. Cuddy didn't

force him to work there as much any longer. She found it was easier

to get another doctor to do the hours than to remedy any damage he

sometimes caused when he did, but she couldn't let him get away

Scott-free.

This time he willingly spent an hour treating paper cuts and running

noses and cigarette burns in the strangest places. He'd made a deal

with Cuddy.

"I'll do the hours if I can be off all weekend. Including Friday,"

he'd said.

"Got a hot date?" she'd asked.

"Yeah, with a nine-year-old," he'd replied.

He'd been surprised when she grinned as she said, "Gretchen. OK, it's

a deal."

"Greg?" House looked up from his computer to the dark-haired woman

in his doorway. She looked familiar.

"Who wants to know?" he growled.

"Me, cuz. Laura" she announced. "I know, I know, it's been, what,

twenty-twenty-five years."

He studied her again. Now he realized why she looked so familiar.

She looked a lot like her mother, his Aunt Jane.

"Mom said you'd be in the neighborhood. Where's the offspring?"

"He has a four-hour tour of Princeton for prospective students,"

Laura replied. "Speaking of offspring, your mother mentioned

something about you having a daughter. Did I hear her right?"

"Yeah." He finally smiled. "Gretchen." He turned his monitor so she

could see the lockscreen picture.

"She's beautiful!" Laura exclaimed. "How'd ya manage that?"

He changed the lockscreen to another picture he'd captured earlier.

"That's her mother," he announced.

"Wow!" Laura said. "And you let her get away?"

Normally House would shrug it off, but instead he said, "Temporarily."

Laura didn't know what to make of that, so she changed the subject.

"Actually, I have three sons."

"Still living in the Bronx?" he asked.

"No, we moved to Texas a long way back," she replied.

He thought about how little contact he'd had with his family over the

years. He should have known all this.

"How 'bout some lunch?" she asked. "I'm buyin'."

"Well, in that case, sure cuz." He got up and led her out the door.

"Watch out for the meatloaf," House warned, as they walked into the

cafeteria. "I think they make it with Spam."

Laura laughed, picked up a tray and walked along the line, picking

up a tuna sandwich and an iced tea. House loaded his tray with a

salad, an order of fries, a fruit cup, chocolate cake, a coke and

meatloaf.

"I thought you said to avoid the meatloaf," Laura said in surprise.

"I like Spam," he said with a shrug.

"Well, Sweetheart, we've gotta go check on a patient," Cameron told

Gretchen.

"OK. But before you go, Aunt Clair, can I ask you something?" the

girl said.

"Sure." Clair smiled at her.

"Is Emily sad?" Gretchen began. "I mean, I have a Dad now and, well,

she doesn't. I hope she's not sad."

"Oh, Gretchen." Clair hugged the girl, then looked at her mother.

"She's got your heart, Allison. No doubt about it. Most kids would

never have given a thought to something like that." Then she cupped

Gretchen's chin. "Sweetie, Emily may be a little sad for herself,

but she is sooo happy for you."

"Oh," Gretchen said. She sat down, and seemed to be deep in thought.

"We'll be back in an hour," Cameron said as she walked out the door.

"And remember, tomorrow your Mom and I will take you and Em school

shopping," Clair added.

"All Right!" Gretchen said, smiling.


	18. Chapters 35 and 36

**Chapter 35. BOYS WILL BE BOYS AND GIRLS WILL JUST GO SHOPPING**

House barged into Wilson's office around noon the next day. "How'd

ya like to buy me..." but stopped short when he noticed the small

boy sitting in the visitor's chair. "Hi Slugger."

"Hi Uncle Greg," Tommy responded with a smile.

"Tommy had his checkup for school today and we were just going to

get some lunch," Wilson explained.

"Can Uncle Greg come too?" the boy asked his father.

"Yeah," House added. "Remember, bros before hos!"

"What does that mean?" Tommy asked.

"Didn't your Dad ever tell you?" House countered with fake

incredulity.

"House, don't corrupt my son," Wilson warned. "It's enough you

corrupted me."

House ignored him. "It means us guys gotta stick together."

,

"Yeah" Tommy agreed, but he obviously didn't really get it because

he then asked, "But where's Gretchen?"

"She had to go back to New York for school."

"You mean like where we went to the zoo?" was the next question.

"A bit further," House answered. "You're full of questions today."

"Mom says I'm too in-quis-i-tive." Tommy said the word carefully to

make sure he got it right.

"Anyway, Gretchen's one of _them_," House said, emphasizing the last

word. "A girl."

"Yeah, but she's pretty cool for a girl," Tommy said.

"Yeah, she is," House said more seriously. Then he quickly snapped

out of it. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go eat."

As they walked towards the cafeteria, Wilson asked as casually as he

could, "Who was that woman with you yesterday?"

"Guess you're inquisitive too," House said and Tommy laughed. "That

was yesterday's hooker. Said I'd get some special lovin' if I took

her to the hospital cafeteria first."

"House!" Wilson said, pointing at Tommy, then putting a finger to his

lips.

"Well, you asked!"

Wilson rolled his eyes and House finally decided to 'fess up. "That

was my cousin Laura. One of her kids was touring the University, so

she stopped in for a visit."

"You never mentioned a cousin Laura," Wilson accused.

"Never told you about Laura from da Bronx?"

Wilson shook his head. "So?"

"That's all there is to tell." House shrugged. "I probably only saw

her a few times growing up, and I've never paid attention to 'family'

stuff."

"Did you tell her about Gretchen?" Wilson asked.

"Can't I have a conversation with anyone without them mentioning

her?" House wanted to know.

Wilson studied his friend. "You really miss her, don't you?"

House stared back. "Only three days, four hours and fifty-two minutes

until I can see her again," he said.

"Hey, Mom, look at these," Gretchen said, holding up a pair of Nikes.

"They're just like Dad's."

"Yes they are," Cameron said with a smile.

"Can I get a pair?" Gretchen begged.

"Wellll, you've outgrown last year's, so I guess so."

"Oh, Thank you, Thank you. You're the bestest!" Gretchen squeed, and

Cameron went to find a salesperson.

"Your Dad wears Nikes?" Emily asked. She sat next to Gretchen in the

shoe department of Macy's, bags of school supplies and clothes

filling the chairs around them. "I thought he was a doctor."

"Let's just say he dresses more casually than most," Gretchen said

with a smile. "I can't wait for you to meet him. Did your Mom tell

you he's gonna give you a ride on his bike?"

"I have my own bike," a puzzled Emily said, pulling on her blond

ponytail.

"I mean his motorcycle," Gretchen corrected herself.

"No way!" Now it was Emily's turn to squee, her eyes like

saucers.

"There you are," Clair said. She'd stopped to look at some suits while

Cameron went on with the girls. "Where's your mother?" she asked

Gretchen.

"Trying to find a salesperson so I can buy new Nikes," Gretchen said.

"Mom, can I get a pair of those too?" Emily asked, pointing to the

athletic shoe Gretchen was holding.

"They're pretty expensive," Clair said, looking at the shoe.

"But they last, like, forever," Gretchen said.

Cameron finally returned with a saleswoman and soon the girls each

had a new pair of Nikes.

"Where next?" Cameron asked.

"Well, I'm starving. How 'bout lunch?" Clair suggested.

The chorus of 'yeah's settled it.

**Chapter 36. GET A JOB**

Friday finally came. House arrived at Albany Childrens' Hospital at

1:30. He parked the motorcycle in the visitors' lot, found the

nearest men's room, and changed out of his jeans and T-shirt into a

dark gray suit and brand new dress shirt, refusing to take the final

step and put on a tie. After all, he did have a reputation as an

eccentric doctor to uphold.

He presented himself to the secretary of the hospital director,

Dennis McReady, at precisely two.

"Mr. McReady is waiting for you," the secretary informed him. "Just

go in."

McReady was a 30-something preppy-looking businessman. His business

just happened to be hospitals. He'd been the administrator at ACH for

three years, taking over after Chuck Fowler left.

"Dr. House, good of you to come," he greeted the diagnostician. "Have

a seat. I'm curious about why you applied for our new position."

"It sounded...intriguing."

McReady nodded. "As you may know, we've never had a Department of

Diagnostic Medicine before, and starting it with a doctor with your

expertise and experience would be quite a coup."

"Yeah, yeah," House cut him short. "So I was the only candidate."

Then he bit his tongue. He really wanted this job so he'd have to

hold in his temper and caustic remarks.

"Dr. House, I can see that your reputation is well-founded. You do

understand that the head of this new department will have to work

closely with the other department heads. In fact, I've asked some

of them to join us to see whether they would be willing to work with

you."

House raised an eyebrow. "A team interview?"

"Something like that. They're due here at 2:30. Meanwhile, I'd like

to tell you what I envision for the department."

He droned on for fifteen minutes while House tried not to comment

on the fact that McReady was not a doctor and hadn't a clue how a

diagnostics department should be run..

Just before 2:30, a short white-haired man entered and McReady

stopped. "Dr. House, this is Dr. Scarpelli, the head of our Cardiac

unit."

Scarpelli nodded at House and studied him over his half glasses.

Next to arrive was a much younger and taller man and a middle-aged

woman. "And this is Dr. Matthews, head of our ER, and Dr. Stone,

our orthopedic man" McReady said.

"How ya doin'?" Stone said as he offered his hand in a friendly

manner, while Matthews' eyes looked House up and down.

House shook Stone's hand and the last two doctors entered, two women,

one of them slightly familiar to House and the other very familiar.

"Dr. Palmer's a hematologist and runs our labs," McReady said,

indicating Clair and oblivious to the change in House's expression.

"And Dr. Cameron heads our Infectious Disease department."

"House!" Cameron exclaimed.

"You know Dr. House?" McReady asked.

"I..." What should she say? "I worked for him before I came here."

What was he doing here? she wondered.

"That's great! You can give us the skinny on what he's really like."

Cameron finally took her eyes off House, and looked at McReady. "I

don't think it would be ethical for me to be involved in his

interview."

"Nonsense!" McReady was again ignoring the looks that were passing

between House and Cameron.

Cameron's mind was in a turmoil. "May I have a private word with Dr.

House?" she asked.

"Is this necessary?" McReady asked.

"If you want me to 'give you the skinny' on him, yes." she replied.

With all the thoughts going through her head, Cameron's expression

was unreadable, even by House. The two of them went out into the

corridor. "My office is just down here," Cameron said as she led the

way and entered before him.

"Trudy, this is Dr. House," she told her secretary.

"Oh, my." She greeted him with a big smile. "Gretchen hasn't stopped

talking about you all week. A pleasure to finally meet you."

Cameron continued on into her office and House followed, not sure

what to expect. He wondered if she was angry with him, especially

when she turned to look at him and shook her head.

"You're annoyed," he guessed.

"I can't believe you'd leave the safety of PPTH to come here," she

said with what sounded like awe.

"You're annoyed," he repeated "that I'd invade your territory."

She shook her head again, and then began to laugh. "It would just be

so ironic if you started working here when I start at PPTH."

His eyes narrowed as he tried to interpret what she'd just said. "You

what?"

"Cuddy offered me a job," she said. Now she was grinning at him. "I

was going to talk to you about it tonight."

"Wait!" he said. "Taylor is still the head of the Infectious Disease

department at PPTH."

"It's a staff position working for Taylor" she said.

"But he's fully staffed," House insisted.

"She said he had an opening."

It didn't take either of them long to tumble to the truth.

"Gretchen!" they both exclaimed, then laughed.

"She is definitely a mini-House," Cameron said. "But Greg, I'm just

floored that you'd leave Cuddy's protection to work for an idiot

like McGreedy."

House shrugged, "So he's a jerk."

"Pot calling the kettle much?" she asked, her smile spreading into

a fond grin.

"So what do we do?" House pondered.

"Do you still want to go through with this interview?" Cameron asked.

"Now I'm just curious whether he'll offer me a job."

"Besides calling him 'McGreedy', Clair and I call him 'McStingy',"

she said. "I wonder how far he'll go to get you. OK, we're going to

go back in there and together we'll convince them all that you're the

only one for the job."

He smiled at her 'go get 'em' attitude, and they walked back together


	19. Chapters 37 and 38

**Chapter 37. ASK ME NO QUESTIONS I'LL TELL YOU NO LIES**

House and Cameron reentered McReady's office and took their places

around the conference table. Without any preamble, Pamela Matthews

began the questioning.

"I understand you use unconventional methods" she stated.

"Patients are referred to me after conventional methods have failed

to diagnose or successfully treat them," House responded in an even

tone. He was trying his darndest to not sound defensive. "Some of my

'unconventional methods' have now become conventional because they

got results."

"But you only treat forty or fifty patients annually," Scarpelli

said, looking skeptical.

"Well, I would hope there weren't more 'unsolvable' cases each year,"

House responded.

"I hear you have a hard time getting along with other doctors,"

McReady said. "Why is that?"

"Only if they're idiots," House blurted, then amended, "or if they

don't do their jobs." He rolled his eyes. "You'd be amazed at how

many doctors loaf on the job."

Cameron hid a snigger.

"Your staff are all on fellowship?" Stone asked.

"I like working with young people who haven't formed bad habits,"

House replied. "To nurture and encourage young talent." He made it

sound so lofty.

Cameron had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Dr. House, how long have you worked at Princeton-Plainsboro?" Clair

asked. It was a rather innocuous question, but she had to say

something.

"About sixteen years now, I think. I've headed the Diagnostics

department for twelve."

"Getting back to your methods, what sorts of risks are you willing

to take with patient's lives?" Matthews asked.

"By the time patients come to me, they usually have a zero percent

chance of survival. So, if my methods have a 1% chance of working,

that's still better." He stared at her, daring her to contradict

him. "Last time I looked one was higher than zero."

There was silence as everyone considered what he said. Obviously,

they'd never thought about that. Finally McReady said, "Thank you

for your time, Dr. House. We'll be in touch."

He knew he was being dismissed so they could discuss his answers to

their questions and his qualifications. Cameron had told him to wait

for her in her office, so he grabbed his bag, said, "Thanks for

talking to me," and left.

"Dr. Cameron said I could wait in her office," he told Trudy.

"Of course," she said brightly. "Can I get you anything? Some coffee?"

"Coffee would be good." He entered Cameron's office. He hadn't had

much of a chance to look around earlier, but knew that Cameron

wouldn't mind or she wouldn't have suggested he wait there alone.

He was looking at assorted pictures of Gretchen on the bookshelves

when the door opened. "Put it on the desk," he said without looking

around, but was suddenly tackled by two arms thrown around his

waist.

"Dad! You're here early!"

He turned and grabbed his daughter, hugging her back, surprising

both of them. He noticed she was accompanied by a short blond girl.

"Hi Emily," he said to her.

A surprised "Hi", then "How did you know who I am?" She looked up

at him. She hadn't expected him to be so tall.

"Well, for one, squirt here talks about you all the time but," he

lifted a picture of Cameron, Gretchen, Clair and Emily on a beach.

"I was just looking at this picture."

"See. I told you he was smart." Both girls giggled. "But where's Mom and Aunt Clair?"

"They're in a discussion with some of the other department heads

and the administrator about whether to hire your old man to head

a new department." He watched to see her reaction.

Her face lit up even more. "That's outrageous! You mean you're gonna

work here?" Then a realization hit her. "Oh, no!"

House smiled at her. "Relax, Kiddo, your Mom and I know about what

you asked Cuddy to do."

"Did Aunt Lisa talk to Mom?" she asked.

"She offered your mother a job," he said, nodding.

"Oh!" Gretchen was deep in thought. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Well, I haven't gotten an offer here yet, but I think the three of

us have some decisions to make." He looked intently at his

daughter. "When you talked to Cuddy, did you think about the

consequences of moving to New Jersey?"

"You're moving to New Jersey?" Emily piped up, trying hard to follow

the conversation.

Gretchen turned to her friend. "Oh!" Then she looked back at her Dad.

"I guess that's a maybe, huh?" He nodded.

"But then we won't be able to go to school together or anything,"

Emily looked like she'd already lost her best friend.

House was not the comforting type, and not usually very optimistic,

but she looked so sad he had to say, "Don't worry, Emily, somehow it'll

all work out."

**Chapter 38. VOCATIONAL DIFFERENTIAL**

Cameron looked intently at the faces of her colleagues. What were

they thinking? Had House given a favorable impression?

"Very interesting man," Dr. Matthews commented. "Dr. Cameron, do you

know whether he's married?"

"What?" Cameron saw Clair try to suppress a giggle at this question.

How could she answer? The truth probably couldn't hurt. "Yes, I know."

"So?" Matthews prompted. "Is he?"

"Oh, no." Cameron sighed, then spoke her mind "But what does that

have to do with whether he'd make a good department head?"

Scarpelli looked at her over his glasses. "You're right. It doesn't.

What I'd like to explore instead is whether he's ever done anything

unethical."

"Like?" Cameron asked. She was afraid of what he might have in mind,

but she wasn't volunteering anything until she knew.

"Oh, something like taking bribes from drug companies."

Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. "To my knowledge, he never has.

In fact, when I was at PPTH, he was forced to give a speech extolling

the virtues of a new drug from the company owned by a board member.

But in the end, he pointed out that it really was no better than a

previous drug with an expired patent."

Scarpelli pressed his lips together and nodded. "That's what I

would have done."

"How often has he been sued?" McReady wanted to know. He was, after

all, a bottom line guy.

"Mr. McReady, you and I both know we live in a litigious society. Of

course he's been sued. Every doctor has," she pointed out, "even me."

Scarpelli and Clair chuckled and Stone smiled.

"Dr. Cameron, his teams have treated many famous patients and many of

his cases have been written up, but never by him," Stone stated.

How could she explain this? "His staff are all at the beginning of

their careers. He let's them write up the cases to help them with

those careers," she said. Well, it could be true, couldn't it? The fact that he'd sat on her article, allowing Foreman to beat her to publication was something that still bothered her.

"But how much of the work on the cases does he do himself?" Matthews

asked. "I've read some of the case histories and it sounds like he

sits in his office and let's his staff treat the patients."

Cameron smiled remembering what that was like. "Leaving him free to

do what he does best, come up with the diagnosis."

"We've all heard that he can be sarcastic, even nasty," Clair said,

knowing that Cameron had a ready answer for her question. "How hard

was that to deal with?"

"You learn that it's just part of his plan, and you learn when to

take his comments seriously. That makes it much easier."

"Dr. Cameron, you sound like you're infatuated with the man," Matthews

said. "Are you?"

Cameron looked at her directly in the eyes and said, "No."

"But you were when you worked for him."

"Again, what does that have to do with his qualifications?" Cameron

pushed down the anger that was building. What was with this woman?

"When I first began to work for him, I had a...crush I guess you'd

call it. I thought he walked on water, but he soon made me realize

he's just a man."

"But you like him?" McReady asked.

"What kind of question is that?" She closed her eyes and took a

breath, not sure what he was asking or why he needed to know.

"Why don't we go back to his record and his abilities?" Clair asked.

"That's what we're here for."

Cameron pressed her lips together. "It's OK, Clair." She faced them

all. "I did tell you all up front that I shouldn't be involved in

this, that I'm biased. You wanna know whether I like Gregory House?

Yes, I do. More than that. I love him. Because he's an excellent

doctor and a wonderful man. I recommend that you hire him, based

on his qualifications and what he can do for this hospital. But

that's a decision you'll have to make." She pushed back her chair

and stood up, turned and left the office.

Cameron found House playing video games with Gretchen and Emily when

she arrived back at her office.

"How'd it go?" he asked, looking at her and trying to mask his

anxiousness. He left the girls to play without him and limped over

to her.

"It seemed to go OK." Her tone wasn't too reassuring. She finally

looked him in the eyes. "I guess I lost it at the end. I told them

I would recommend that they hire you, but I also admitted that I love

you."

A brief smile crossed his lips. "Hmmm, guess it's plan B then," he

said.

"Not necessarily. I mean, why should that matter?" She seemed upset,

like she thought she'd really messed up.

"Allison, it doesn't matter." Now he was reassuring her. "It's not

our only option."

She looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Since when did you become

Mr. Nice Guy?" She finally smiled.

"Hey! I was always nice!" he insisted.

She laughed and hugged him. "Oh, I've missed you," she muttered into

his chest.

"Maybe you'll show me how much a little later," he muttered back.

Clair entered, coughed loudly and said, "Not in front of the kids."

But she was smiling.

"So?" Cameron asked.

"Stone, Scarpelli and I agreed with your recommendation," she

announced. She looked at House. "McGreedy is gonna offer you the

job. Welcome to ACH." She held out a hand to him.

House shook it but said, "Now we just have to decide if I'm gonna take

it."

"What d'you mean?" Clair asked, bewildered.

"Allison, didn't you tell her?" House asked.

"I didn't have a chance," she said. "Clair, it seems our munchkin has

been at work." Cameron chuckled. "She got the administrator at PPTH

to offer me a job that didn't even exist."

Clair laughed. "This is way too funny. I knew that child could be

devious, but this is incredible even for her."

"I'm glad you think it funny," Cameron said, smirking. "You don't have

to make the decision that we do."

Trudy knocked at the door. "Dr. Cameron, there's someone here from

Sandy Gelman's office with some papers."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Cameron said. "OK, show him in."

"It's a her," Trudy said, then turned to the person behind her. "You

can go in now."

A young woman with brown hair, blue eyes and pale skin entered,

carrying a slim file of papers. "Hi, I'm Caro Ny. I'm a law clerk

at Mr. Gelman's office. He sent me over with these legal papers for

Dr. Cameron." She looked from one adult to the other, not sure which

one to give the papers to.

"I'm Allison Cameron."

House looked at her questioningly.

"These'll be the papers changing Gretchen's name legally to Gretchen

Rose House," she told him.

He smiled, no grinned.


	20. Chapters 39 and 40

_Hope you've all seen the House finale, and loved it as much as I did. The only thing better would have been if Cameron was on that bike with House at the end._

**Chapter 39. Decisions, Decisions**

House changed back into his jeans and T-shirt and followed Cameron

and Gretchen to their home. "I told Clair we'd have lunch with

her and Emily on Saturday," she said.

House nodded, "And I promised to give each of the girls a ride on the motorcycle.

They arrived at the house, a typical Cape Cod with kitchen, dining

room, living room, bedroom and bath downstairs and two dormer bedrooms

and another bathroom upstairs. Nothing fancy, but well-kept. As he

entered through the back door House found the interior furnished

comfortably and feeling lived in.

Gretchen took her school pouch to her bedroom upstairs while

Cameron led House to the kitchen. She took a beer from the

refrigerator and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said smiling at the naturalness of the gesture.

Then suddenly she body stiffened and her eyes clouded. "So, should I order in or do you want to eat out. Frankly, I really don't want to cook. I mean I

could do something fast and easy. Or would you like me to order some

Chinese? Or maybe..."

"Allison, relax," he said. "Is there a good pizza place nearby?"

"But you don't eat pizza on Fridays," Gretchen said as she came in.

"Well, not if I've already had it three times during the week. But

I can make exceptions," House said. "I'm a flexible kinda guy."

Cameron began to laugh and he winked at her.

They'd finished the last piece of pizza and talked about everything

but the decision they had to make.

Finally House said, "OK, let's see, what are the pros and cons of

Albany and Princeton?"

Cameron smiled, left for a minute and returned carrying a small

whiteboard. House was astonished to see it was the one he'd given

her when she left PPTH ten years before. She handed it to him with

some markers and he began to write as they each came up with some

things to list.

"This house is larger than your apartment," Cameron said.

"I don't really want to leave Emily," Gretchen said, "but I'd like to

spend more time with Tommy, and with Jahzara and Ricky and Becca,

too."

"You'd no longer be in charge of a department at PPTH," House told

Cameron.

"That alone has it's pros and cons," she said. "Remember when I asked

you whether I had management abilities and you said none?" she asked

with a smirk. "Turns out I'm pretty good at it, but there's sometimes

too much responsibility."

"So you wouldn't mind working for Taylor?"

The corners of her mouth turned down as she shook her head and said,

"No."

After a while they had as many pros for each place and almost as

many cons. "I don't think we can look at this objectively. We'll

never get anywhere. Gretchen, what does your heart tell you?"

Cameron asked.

"Well, sometimes I want to go to New Jersey so much, and then I

realize I don't ever want to leave here," the girl said.

"I think you could be happy wherever we are as long as we don't

lose our connections to everyone we love here or there," Cameron told

her. "But I really think your Dad would be much more comfortable in

New Jersey." She looked at House to see whether he'd confirm that.

But all he said was, "Aren't you leaving something out of the

equation?"

It didn't take her long to realize what he meant. "Like Gretchen, I

would be happy anywhere as long as we're together," she said, almost

defensively, her voice rising.

He smirked. "If I said I could be happy here with the two of you,

would you believe me?" he asked.

"I guess you could be happy here, but you'd be even happier in

Princeton."

"So you've already made the decision for us."

"No!" she exclaimed, then thought over what she'd said. "Maybe.

Maybe, deep down, I feel that Princeton is where we belong. That

living here, for me, was always temporary."

He nodded slowly. "So that's the decision?"

"It's my decision," she said, her voice a little shaky.

"You're not doing this just because of me?"

She shook her head.

"Then Princeton it is."

**Chapter 40. New York State of Mind**

House woke Saturday morning in a strange bed. He hadn't expected to

be able to sleep, he rarely did when he wasn't home, and often not

then either.

But the bed was comfortable, and the sound of Cameron breathing

softly beside him was calming. Of course, they'd had a good work-out

the night before. He had to smile at what a tiger she was in bed.

He turned on his left side, all the better to study her sleeping

form and beautiful face.

She seemed to sense his intent gaze and her eyes flickered open.

"Morning," she whispered.

"No need to whisper," he whispered back.

She laughed lightly. "How'd you sleep?" she asked.

"I'd say 'like a baby', but I don't really know how that is. Too long

ago."

She smiled at him, then stretched like a cat, personifying a sense of

well-being. Reaching out a hand, she traced his lips with a finger,

then followed the finger with her lips.

"I can get used to this," he said.

He rolled onto his back and put his hands under his head, looking

up at the ceiling. "Allison, are we making the right decision?"

"You're not going to second-guess this now are you?" she asked, a

worried frown appearing. "I thought we all agreed."

"But taking Gretchen away from the life she's known," he began. He

turned to her again. "We moved so much when I was a kid. I never set

down roots anywhere."

"But this is only one move," she said.

He shook his head. "I wasn't comparing it to the nomadic life I

lived. Just the opposite. I really don't want to uproot her. She's

thriving here," he said, looking to see whether she understood.

"She's not a delicate flower that can only thrive in one environment,"

Cameron said, continuing the metaphor. "We just have to make her new

home as nurturing, no, even more nurturing than what she had here."

Cameron thought a bit more. "I think what she'll miss most is Emily.

She'll make new friends, already has, but she and Em have been close

for a long time."

"Hmmm," House said, thoughtfully.

"Greg? You're not thinking what I am are you? Because we've taken

advantage of Cuddy enough already."

"Remember Symington?" he asked, almost out of the blue.

"Is he still alive?" she asked.

"Barely. I think he's about 90 and still running the PPTH labs, but

he's actually begun to talk about retiring." He saw she knew where

he was going. "It's only a matter of time. That is, if your friend

Clair is interested."

"Why don't we talk to her about it later? Right now, I wouldn't mind

some more of what we were doing last night," she purred.

"You're insatiable!"

"And you're not?" she said with a smile, as she moved to straddle

him, careful not to put pressure on his right leg. He put his hands

on her derriere and pressed her to him. Soon all thoughts about the

future and even about Gretchen had flown and they gave way to their

passion.

A half hour later they heard the piano in the living room. Gretchen

was trying to play one of the songs House had taught her, but

without his part of the duet.

Cameron put on a pair of panties and a kimono and went to see.

"Mom, I didn't mean to wake you," Gretchen apologized.

"That's OK Sweetie. We were awake, just...talking."

"Hi Dad," she said as House, dressed now in a T-shirt and jeans,

came in behind Cameron. "You've gotta teach me how to do this

without you," Gretchen begged.

Cameron looked at House and smiled. "I'm gonna take a quick shower

and then make breakfast," she said.

House sat down at the piano. It was an old spinet that Cameron told him

she'd gotten at an estate sale, but it seemed in good tune.

He ran his sensitive fingers over the keys, then turned to Gretchen

and said, "OK. You've mostly been playing the melodies. The chords are

a little trickier. Here, I'll show you."

By the time Cameron called out that breakfast was ready, the child

was able to play some simpler chords along with the melody of a song.

She was beaming over the accomplishment, and House beamed too with

a sense of pride.

As they ate their bacon, eggs and toast, Gretchen chattered away

about how 'outrageous' it would be when she and Cameron moved to

New Jersey.

"I'll have to give my notice here," Cameron said. "And we'll have to

sell this house. I think once we get started on all of the arrange-

ments, it may actually sink in that we're doing this."

"Dad, are we going to be living in your apartment?" Gretchen asked.

"I guess, to begin with," he said. "But you probably don't want to

sleep on that lumpy old couch for the next nine years until you go

off to college."

"If we buy a house, then maybe I can have a dog," Gretchen said.

"Are you still on that kick?" her father asked.

"Maybe a bigger apartment or a condo?" Cameron suggested.

"We have plenty of time to decide," House said, but he was beginning

to realize how many changes there'd be in his life even staying in

New Jersey.


	21. Chapters 41 and 42

_Welcome to all of my new readers, and welcome back to everyone else. _

**Chapter 41. GAMES PEOPLE PLAY**

House, Cameron and Gretchen met Clair and Emily at a popular family

restaurant for lunch. It was a favorite for both girls because it

had a game room inside and miniature golf outside.

Cameron knew that Emily would be unhappy when they told her and her

mother about their decision, but hoped they could cheer her up with

the food and games. She wasn't prepared for Emily's tears. Luckily

both Clair and Gretchen were.

"Oh, Emmy honey, it'll be OK," her mother told her. "We'll visit them

whenever we can, and they'll come back here to visit, too."

"But who will I eat lunch with at school and who will I do my

homework with?" Emily asked, trying not to sound like a whiney baby.

"You'll make other friends," Clair promised.

"Uh-uh, no I won't, not like Gretchen," Emily insisted.

"Hey, Em, don't cry," Gretchen said. "We can message each other

every day and tell each other what happened at school. We can even

help each other with homework and stuff."

"Promise?" Emily asked.

"Didn't we talk every day I was at my Dad's?" Gretchen asked. "We'll

both make new friends, but we'll always be bestest buddies."

Emily sniffed, feeling and sounding a little less abandoned, said, "OK."

"Hey, let's go play some games," Gretchen suggested, turning to the

adults for confirmation that they could go. They'd already finished

eating. "Can we?"

"Sure, go ahead," Clair said, and Cameron nodded in agreement.

House, Cameron and Clair watched the girls run off towards the game

room. A middle-aged man approached their table.

"Allison? Clair." he said.

"Chuck," Cameron said "What are you doing back in Albany?"

House studied the man. Medium height, medium coloring, pleasant

enough to look at.

"My Mom's been sick so I've moved back. I'm working at Presbyterian

now." He looked her over and then looked at the man sitting with

her and her friend.

"Chuck, this is Dr. Gregory House," Cameron said by way of an

introduction. "House, this is Chuck Fowler."

"Ah, the ex," House said, as if that explained everything.

"Have you joined the staff at Children's?" Chuck asked him,

wondering how he knew he'd been married to Cameron.

"I'm about to be offered a job there that I'm not going to take,"

House said. "I'm head of the Department of Diagnostic Medicine at

Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey."

Chuck looked puzzled. Just then Gretchen returned. "Dad, you've

gotta come play this game. It's outrageous." She pulled at House's

arm. Chuck watched House limp off after the girl.

"That old cripple is Gretchen's father?" Chuck said incredulously.

"That's the guy you carried a torch for all these years?"

"One and the same," Cameron said, smiling at his astonishment. "Makes

me wonder how I ever could have thought I saw anything in you."

"Oh, Allison, that's really harsh!" Chuck said.

"You're right," she said, but couldn't help laughing. When she

finally stopped she said, "I'm sorry, but if you saw the look on

your face, well..." and she started laughing again.

Chuck walked off in a huff.

"Allie, you shouldn't have," Clair said, but she was holding in her

own laughter.

Once they could contain themselves, Cameron looked at her friend.

"Clair, would you consider making a move too?"

"What?"

"Greg says there may be an opening at PPTH, similar to what you're

doing at Children's," Cameron told her. "Would you be interested

when it happens?"

"Well, it's certainly something to think about," Clair said,

surprising herself at how the prospect cheered her. "Emily's not the only one who'll miss you two. I guess I would like that a lot."

They all left the restaurant and went back to Cameron and Gretchen's

house so that House could give the girls their rides.

"Em, you can go first," Gretchen said.

"Really?" Emily said, grinning at her friend.

House handed her the helmet Gretchen had used. She put it on and

looked up at him with a nervous smile.

"Ready?" House asked. She nodded.

"Tie your shoes," her mother ordered. She looked more nervous than

Emily. The girl bent over to tie them. House noticed they were

similar to his, and then saw that Gretchen's were, too. He had to

smile.

He got on the bike and Clair helped Emily settle in behind him. They

took off slowly, the girls thin arms holding on for dear life.

House sensed she was not as much of a daredevil as Gretchen and took

it easy, just around a few blocks and then a long straight stretch

on the streets. He could feel the girl relax as she realized she

wasn't going to fall off.

He gave her a little more sense of speed as they rode back. When

they reached Cameron's street, she relaxed completely. And when she

got off the bike and handed the helmet to Gretchen for her ride,

Emily was beaming.

**Chapter 42. YOU MAY TAKE ME TO THE FAIR**

"Mom, what was Chuck doing at the restaurant today?" Gretchen asked

that evening. Clair and Emily had gone and they'd finished their

dinner. They'd just sat down in the living room, getting ready to

watch a movie.

"He's moved back to Albany," Cameron said. "He said his mother is

sick."

"Old Mrs. Fowler? She was always mean to me," Gretchen remembered.

"But I'm sorry she's sick. Did you tell Chuck we're moving to

Princeton?"

"I didn't get a chance," Cameron confessed.

House raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"He left rather abruptly when I laughed at him," she told him. "His

response to you, the expression on his face when he realized who you

were, very comical!" She began to snigger again just thinking about

it. "I can't imagine why I ever married him in the first place."

"You were lonely and wanted a father for Gretchen," House guessed.

"I suppose," she said. "But he never met any of those needs."

"Do you think he's still interested?" House asked.

Cameron shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it, but he never

called or wrote after he moved to Boston."

"So, what are we gonna watch?" Gretchen asked, changing the subject.

The next morning as they ate breakfast, Cameron asked House "Have

you ever been to a state fair?"

"What, prize cows and gourds as big as watermelons and watermelons

as big as tanks?" he sneered. "Nope."

"There's also rides and games and all sorts of junk food," she told

him.

"Yeah, funnel cakes and corn on the cob and elephant ears," Gretchen

added.

"Elephant what?"

"They're kinda big flat sugary donuts without the hole," Cameron

explained.

"Yum!" Gretchen said.

"Sounds like my kinda place," he said, grinning. "OK, you convinced

me."

They finished eating, cleaned up, and got in Cameron's car for the

long ride.

"You'd think the New York State Fair would be in Albany," House whined

as they drove west on the Thruway to Syracuse. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost." Cameron had to laugh.

By the time they arrived he was hungry. OK, he was probably hungry

before they pulled out of the driveway. A large sign near the

entrance to the fairgrounds proclaimed all the things you had to see,

eat and do. Among the 'gotta eats' was something else House had never

heard of, fried spaghetti and meatballs.

"Lunch," he declared, so they found the place selling the spaghetti. It was tomatoe-y and flavorful like good spaghetti and meatballs, but House declared the texture, "Weird." That didn't stop him from finishing his portion and whatever Cameron left over.

After that they wandered through the grounds, stopping to see the

historic trains and antique tractors on display. One of the people

displaying tractors told them that there would be a tractor pull

later in the afternoon and House's eyes lit up. That would be almost

as cool as Monster Trucks.

They came to the area with the rides and Gretchen insisted on going

on the giant slide. Her parents looked at each other, then Cameron

said, "We'll just sit here and wait for you."

They found a bench and sat, watching Gretchen join the other kids of

all ages waiting to head down the slide. "Thanks for suggesting

this," House said. "I forget sometimes the things I never got to do

growing up."

Cameron took his hand in her much smaller one and smiled at him. "I

just thought it was something we could do as a family."

Gretchen returned after her trip down the slide declaring, "I'm hungry

again."

House didn't need another invitation. They found a stand selling the

elephant ears that Cameron had mentioned and each got one. "These

really are good," House said between mouthfuls. Cameron couldn't

finish hers, but she knew he'd eat it.

It was time for the tractor pull. They found seats right up front

and watched as the modified farm tractors pulled their loads through

muddied ground. None of them had ever seen anything like it, and to

watch it so close up was even more fun.

"Dad, will you go through the maze with me?" Gretchen asked. It

sounded like something they could all do. By the time they made their

way through they were all laughing.

After several more treats, including ice cream from the dairy barn

and really greasy, salty and vinegary fries, and another elephant ear

for House, they were ready to head back to Albany.

"I wonder if New Jersey has a state fair," Gretchen said when they got

back in the car.

"Guess we'll just have to find out," her mother told her.


	22. Chapters 43 and 44

_Once again, thanks to all my new readers. It seems the series finale has encouraged people to read fanfics._

_Our daughter and niece will be visiting for the next ten days, so I don't know when I'll be able to post. Meanwhile, here are another couple of chapters._

**Chapter 43. SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?**

"So, what's next?" House asked on Monday morning. "We've done the family

restaurant thing and the state fair thing. You're not gonna suggest

some boring museum, because then I'll just have to leave sooner."

"No," Cameron said, laughing, but beginning to dread the moment when

he would leave. "And don't say you haven't been enjoying yourself."

House grimaced.

Cameron sighed. "OK. The hospital has this big annual picnic on

Labor Day. We could go to that." She hesitated. "Or not." She watched

his face, unsure what his reaction would be.

He stared at her intently. "Do YOU want to go to this thing? I mean,

I'll go anywhere there's free food. Of course, I'm not sure of the

reception I'll get from McGreedy, although he hasn't made his offer

and I haven't turned him down. Yet."

Cameron shrugged. "Gretchen and I usually go because it's something

to do. And Clair and Emily go too."

"Gretchen, you wanna go?" House asked his daughter.

The child had been watching them both. She was beginning to realize

that her father rarely admitted to having fun and almost looked for

ways not to.

"Sometimes it's lots of fun," she said. "Whatever you want to do.

But last year the games and food weren't so good."

"Part of McGreedy's cost-cutting, I think," Cameron explained. "We can

always leave and do something else if it becomes too boring."

The hospital family picnic was held on the grounds of ACH. There

was a permanent area behind the hospital with picnic tables and

lots of shady spots. When they arrived, it looked like many of the

hospital staff had brought their families for the event. Everyone,

except those unlucky enough to be on duty, seemed to be there.

House, Cameron and Gretchen easily found Clair and Emily talking to

Dr. Stone and a pretty young woman that House assumed was his wife

or girlfriend.

"Dr. House. Good to see you again," Stone said.

"Dr. Cameron thought I might enjoy meeting some of the rest of the

hospital staff," House said.

"Can Emily and I go check out the carnival games?" Gretchen asked.

Cameron looked at Clair to see whether she had any objections, then

both mothers said, "Sure."

Trudy wandered over with her husband. "I'm so glad you decided to

come. I wanted Walter to meet Dr. House" she said.

"Pleased ta meetcha" Walter said. His New England accent was even

more pronounced than his wife's.

Cameron suddenly realized she'd have to break the news to Trudy that

she'd be leaving in a few weeks. Trudy had been her secretary since

she'd become head of the Infectious Disease department, and she

knew she'd miss this warm and friendly woman.

"Seems there's even less food this year," Trudy lamented

She rarely complained about anything, but even she was becoming aware

of the cut backs.

"It's one thing to cut back on the food for this, but McGreedy won't

approve the latest Spin Acoustic Imager for the Radiology Lab either,"

Clair griped.

"It's getting harder and harder to get him to agree to anything that

costs money," Stone added. "I hope you're not disappointed in the

amount he offers you, Dr. House." He suddenly realized that the job

offer still hadn't been made. "Ooops. I guess I shouldn't have told

you that."

"It's OK," Cameron assured him. "Clair already told us to expect the

offer."

"You're coming ta work here?" Walter asked. He, too, worked at the

hospital as an on-staff electrician.

House and Cameron exchanged a look as Clair watched to see whether

they'd say anything. But before they had a chance to even decide what

to reveal, Pamela Matthews appeared.

"Dr. House, I hadn't realized you were still in town," she said,

practically batting her eyelids.

Cameron bit her lip to keep from bursting into laughter. Matthews was

flirting with House! Why didn't she see this coming? All those

personal questions during the interview should have given it away.

It was soon obvious that House realized it too, because he said,

"Had to try out the Albany hookers. I heard they were way better than

the ones in New Jersey."

Matthews gave him an astonished and disgusted look and walked away,

and Cameron and Clair laughed, then Cameron had to tell the others,

"Don't mind him. He likes to get a rise out of people."

"Awww, Allie, do you have to spoil the effect," House whined. And she

laughed again.

Gretchen and Emily came back to report on the games. "They've only

got a silly ring toss game and that game with the water pistol and

balloons," Emily said.

"Dad, come try to win me a prize," Gretchen begged, pulling on House's

arm. He rolled his eyes but limped off after her.

Stone stared after them as if something had finally clicked.

"We're gonna get some food," Trudy said, as she and Walter headed off.

"Dr. House never answered the question," Stone stated. "Will he take

our offer?"

"No need to tell McGreedy just yet, but the answer is 'no', and I'll

be leaving too," Cameron told him.

He nodded to indicate he understood.

**Chapter 44. STAY JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER**

House, Cameron and Gretchen left the picnic at 3:30, Gretchen still

clutching the stuffed elephant House had won for her by tossing three

rings onto a milk bottle. They were all still hungry, the result of

a picnic with not enough food for the large numbers of hospital staff

and family members who showed up. So they stopped for some Chinese

take-out on their way back to the house.

None of them wanted to bring up the fact that House would have to

leave before long. They sat around the dining room table, eating

their food and talking about everything but.

"Dr. Stone's girlfriend is really pretty," Gretchen said. "I wonder

if they'll get married."

"It was funny to see Dr. Scarpelli in Bermuda shorts and a T-shirt,"

Cameron said. "He always wears a suit and tie."

"I don't know why you wanted an elephant instead of a stuffed bear,"

House asked Gretchen.

"I'll give you a hint," she replied. "I'm gonna call him 'Memory'."

They finished eating and Gretchen grasped at reasons to keep her

father there just a little longer.

"Dad, I'm not sure about the last chords you showed me. Can you show

me again?"

He was perfectly aware that she had them down pat, but jumped at the

excuse to delay. "Sure Squirt. Come here." He led the way to the

piano bench and they sat side by side.

Cameron took the opportunity to grab her minicamera and get some

pictures of them.

But finally House couldn't wait any longer. "Can you come back next

weekend?" Gretchen asked, trying not to beg.

House looked at her, wishing he could say a definite yes. "Maybe."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "You know I'll try."

"It'll only be four weeks until we can move," Cameron said, trying to

convince herself as much as House and Gretchen of the 'only' part.

"I mean I have to give notice and put the house on the market,

arrange for the movers." She saw they were both as sad as she was.

"Maybe we can do everything in three weeks."

House hugged Gretchen and said, "Kiddo, I'll talk to you tomorrow,

OK?"

She pressed her cheek against his chest. "Love you Dad."

House turned to Cameron. He saw she was trying not to cry. He pulled

her into his arms and kissed her upturned lips. "Take care of

yourself and Gretchen."

"You take care too," she said. "I love you Greg. Call when you get

home."

He tried to speak. "I..." He had to swallow and then try again. "I

love you both." He pulled away slowly, hefted his bag onto his

shoulder, and limped out the door.

Cameron and Gretchen stood in the doorway watching him mount the

motorcycle and take off down the street.

Cameron wiped her tears with the back of her hand and closed the

door. She took a deep breath and then said, "Well, Sweetheart, you

have any homework left to do?"

"No," Gretchen replied. "Not everyone was back at school when it started on Thursdy, so Mrs. Murphy didn't give much homework, and I've finished

the book report I had to do."

"Well, why don't we watch a movie?" She started to look for one that

House wouldn't have watched with them. Maybe some kind of chick flick.

But she soon realized most of them would make her cry more. And some

of them weren't exactly appropriate for a nine-year-old.

"Why don't we just watch TV?" Gretchen suggested.

"Sure," Cameron agreed. So they turned on the set and watched a few

of the newest sitcoms, laughing occasionally at some inane thing one

of the characters said, but not really paying attention. At ten,

Cameron told Gretchen it was time for bed.

"Oh, Mom, I won't be able to sleep until I know Dad's home safely,"

the girl whined, saying exactly what Cameron herself was thinking.

"Well, just get ready for bed, and we can wait together for him to

call."

Gretchen smiled at her. "You're just as anxious as I am," she observed

before she headed up the stairs.

She returned a little while later and joined her mother on the

couch. "When I was at Dad's, every time you left he would pretend

that I was the only one waiting for you to call to let us know you

were home, but he didn't fool me." She looked at her mother. "You're

not even trying to, are you?"

Cameron pressed her lips together and shook her head. "No, can't fool

you, so why should I bother?"

"You're not worried are you?" Gretchen needed reassurance.

"No, I just want to hear his voice again."

"Yeah, me too" Gretchen insisted.

Finally at eleven the phone rang. Cameron let out a breath that she

didn't even know she'd been holding.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi, I'm home."

"That's good." Gretchen reached out for the phone and Cameron handed

it over.

"Hi Dad," she said.

"Hi, Kiddo. Better get to bed, you've got school tomorrow."

"Yeah, well, OK. Talk to you tomorrow." She handed the phone back to

her mother.

"So, um, thanks for calling and letting us know you're home," Cameron

said. "Goodnight Greg."

There were so many retorts he could make, but instead he just said,

"Goodnight Allison."


	23. Chapters 45 and 46

_Well, we made it back this evening from out trip to the Grand Canyon, exhausted but it was a great trip. So without further ado..._

**Chapter 45. TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT**

Gretchen and Emily entered their classroom Tuesday morning and

Gretchen stopped to ask their teacher, Mrs. Murphy, "Did Mr. Davis tell you about the change in my name?" She'd been with Cameron early that morning when her mother notified the vice-principal, determined to make an official change to

Gretchen's school records.

"Yes, he just messaged me with the information" Mrs. Murphy said.

Gretchen smiled and sat down next to Emily.

"Oh, no. I thought she wasn't coming back!" Emily exclaimed in dismay

as a girl with long blond hair strode arrogantly into the room,

accompanied by two other girls. "She wasn't here last week."

"But remember, last year she came back to school late, too" Gretchen

pointed out. "She always goes off to Europe or someplace every

summer and comes back around Labor Day, even though school starts

sooner. I'm afraid Meredith Morgan and her sycophants will plague

our lives forever," she ended dramatically.

"Her what?" Emily asked.

"It's a new word I learned from one of the books I just read.

Sycophants. It means people who hang around to flatter someone."

"Well, that describes Deedee and Ceci to a tee!" Emily said laughing.

"Although, I'd have called them parasites." Emily described just

about everything in biological terms since science was her favorite

subject. But her mood suddenly turned gloomy again. "How will I put

up with them when you're gone?"

"Oh, Em, it won't be that bad. There are plenty of other kids who

don't like them." Gretchen tried to reassure her friend.

"I hate it when Meredith teases us and her sy-cho-phants" she tested

the word and liked it. "They encourage her."

"Just remember. You're better than they are in the things that count.

You're smarter and nicer and lots more fun."

Cameron sat at her computer composing her resignation letter. What

should she say? Should she just say she'd gotten an offer at another

hospital or add that she was leaving for personal reasons? She wished

House were there to help her write it, although he'd probably tell

her to be sarcastic. She was so tempted to call him on her picture

phone, just to see his grizzled old face and hear his deep voice,

but she doubted he was in his office yet. In the end, she just typed

that she was taking another job at PPTH and would be leaving in three

weeks.

She printed out the letter and took it with her down the hall to

McReady's office. He was on the phone, or so his secretary said, but

after five minutes she ushered Cameron in.

"Mr. McReady, as required by my contract, I'm giving you three weeks

notice. I'll be leaving my position here for another one in New

Jersey," she said as she handed him the letter.

"I thought you'd be overjoyed that Dr. House would be joining our

staff," he said.

"Have you made him an offer?" she asked.

"I have a call in to his office."

She smiled a knowing smile, but didn't say anything.

"You haven't answered my question," he challenged her.

"You didn't really ask me one," she countered, again avoiding saying

anything.

"Why are you being so obtuse?" he asked.

"Wow, I didn't know you knew that word." Boy, this was fun, she

thought. No wonder House does it all the time.

"Dr. Cameron." McReady was becoming annoyed.

"Mr. McReady, that's my letter of resignation. I suggest you focus

on finding a replacement for me, 'cause I'm outta here in three

weeks." With that she turned and left.

By the time she got back to her office she was laughing. She finally

gave in to her urge to call House. Remarkably he was at his desk.

"Hi" Cameron said, a big smile on her face.

"I knew you'd call," he said, smirking.

"I just gave McGreedy my resignation," she told him. "He said he was

waiting for a call back from you so he could make you an offer."

"Let him wait. You didn't say anything, did you?" he asked.

"Nope. Used my best imitation of the House avoidance technique."

"Good girl." His smirk became a proud smile.

"We also got Gretchen's name changed at school this morning."

"My, you've been busy."

"Gotta fill up the time somehow," she said, shrugging.

He just nodded, then asked, "Did you call Cuddy to accept her offer?"

"I know I should have done that before I resigned, but it's next,

and then I have to break the news to Trudy," she said. "How are you

doing?" She bit her lip, thinking she shouldn't have asked that.

While he tried to come up with a snarky response, she saved him the

trouble and said, "We'll call again later, when Gretchen gets here

after school. Bye Greg," and then she just disconnected.

**Chapter 46. THE BEST IS YET TO COME**

Cuddy saw that the caller on her picture phone was Allison Cameron.

"Dr. Cameron, I hope you have good news for me," she said without

preamble.

"Dr. Cuddy, I hope you think it's good, but first, can I ask you

something?" the younger doctor asked.

Cuddy indicated that she could go ahead.

"House says Taylor didn't have an opening. Did Gretchen put you up

to this?"

"Well..." Should she admit that she'd been manipulated by a nine-year-old?

"Yeah, I thought so," Cameron said, grinning. "Well, if the offer

still stands, I'll take it. And you won't regret hiring me, I promise

you."

"That I know." Cuddy nodded. "That daughter of yours is really

something. Tommy asks about her all the time. I can't wait to see his

face when I tell him she'll be moving to Princeton."

"She and I are both looking forward to it," Cameron told her. "One of

the deciding factors for her was your son, you know. I think her

friend Emily is getting tired of hearing her talk about Tommy this,

and Tommy that."

"Do you need help finding a place to live?" Cuddy asked.

"Oh. I...I thought you knew." Cameron thought it wasn't a secret or

wouldn't be for long, but should she tell the administrator? After

all, Cuddy was House's boss. "We'll be living with House."

Cuddy didn't miss a beat. She realized that deep down it was what

she'd hoped. "In that small apartment?"

"For now, but we'll probably have to find a bigger place soon." She

chuckled. "Gretchen wants a dog and she has Greg twisted so tightly

around her little finger that he's almost ready to agree."

"Jim says she also wants a brother," Cuddy threw out, interested in

how Cameron would respond.

"Yah, um..."

Cuddy could tell that Cameron didn't know what to say about that so

she changed the subject. "When can you start?"

"I gave notice today and we should be able to move down there in

about three weeks or so. Why don't we say the beginning of October?"

Cameron suggested.

"Great. I'll tell Taylor to expect you then," Cuddy said. "Welcome

back to PPTH, Dr. Cameron."

"I kinda wish I was there already" Cameron said. "Thanks again, Dr.

Cuddy. Bye."

"Bye Cam...Allison."

Once she disconnected, Cameron walked out to her secretary's office

and pulled a chair up to Trudy's desk.

"Trudy, I know you're aware of some of what's been going on the past

few weeks," she began.

"You mean with Gretchen and Dr. House and all."

"Yeah."

"I heard he might join the staff here. Is that true?" Trudy asked.

"McReady will be offering him a job as head of the new Diagnostics

department," Cameron said. "Trudy, he's not gonna take it."

"Oh!" Trudy was disappointed. She liked what she'd seen of Dr. House

and she knew that Gretchen and probably Cameron were crazy about him.

"Trudy, I'm not sure how to tell you this," Cameron began again. "I've

been offered a job at the hospital where House works, and I'm gonna

take it." She stopped to watch the expressions change on the older

woman's face.

"You're leaving ACH?" Trudy asked to be clear on what she'd heard.

"Yes."

"And you and Gretchen will be living in the same city as Dr. House?"

"Actually...we'll be living with him," Cameron admitted.

"Ohhh!" Then, suddenly Trudy began to smile. "That's wonderful. The

three of you belong together."

"I guess you'll continue to be the secretary for whoever replaces me,

so you won't have to change jobs," Cameron tried to reassure her.

"Well, maybe now Walter and I can both retire and move to Arizona,"

she said. "Our daughter's been begging us to move down there for

years, but I didn't want to leave you."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't. I'll be leaving in three weeks or so,"

Cameron said.

"So soon?"

"I turned in my resignation today."

"I would have paid to see the expression on McReady's face!" Trudy

said with a grin.

On impulse, Cameron hugged Trudy. "Thank you. There were times when

I didn't know what I would have done without you."

"Oh, pshaw!" Trudy said, but she was happy.

"So, how'd the weekend go?" Wilson asked his friend as they ate their

lunch on the hospital patio.

"Coulda been worse," House replied, studying the chip in his hand.

"I guess that's House-speak for 'I had the best weekend in recorded

memory'," Wilson said with a smirk.

"Did Cuddy tell you she offered Cameron a job here?" House asked,

rather than comment on that remark.

"Yeah, is she going to take it?" Wilson took another bite of his

sandwich as he waited for the answer.

"Yeah. She was gonna call this morning to accept," House told him.

Wilson swallowed. "I thought she had an excellent job at ACH. She's

really willing to give that up to be with you?"

"I wouldn't take a job there myself. The hospital administrator makes

Cuddy look like a benevolent dictator."

"Hey, that's my wife your talking about or have you forgotten?"

Wilson asked, but he knew House knew exactly what he was saying. "So,

whaddya think it'll be like having them here?"

"I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into here, but there are

definitely compensations!"


	24. Chapters 47 and 48

_I'll try to post a few more chapters of this before I leave for my next trip on Saturday to meet some other House fanfic writers in Vegas._

Chapter 47. SUDDENLY THE WORLD IS SUCH A PERFECT PLACE

House finally decided he might as well get it over with. He called

ACH and asked to speak to McReady.

"Dr. House, I've been trying to get to you all day," McReady's voice

boomed with obviously fake joviality. "We'd like to offer you the

position as head of our Diagnostics Department. I'm sure you'll

enjoy working here."

House knew that Cameron had turned in her resignation, but McReady

didn't know that House knew, nor did he know how House would feel

about it. But House had a plan.

"Hello? This connection must be bad. I know you must have mentioned

the salary that went with the position, but I didn't catch it."

"Well, you know, we can't really pay you as much as you're making

at PPTH," McReady equivocated.

"I couldn't hear that," House repeated.

"That is, I think we might be able to meet your current salary."

"And of course that'll include all the usual perks."

"Well, depends on what you mean by perks, but, uh," McReady was still

hemming and hawing. House could imagine how green he was turning.

"Oh, and a car," House added.

"Now, see here, Dr. House..." McReady blustered.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," House said, smiling to himself.

"Frankly, McStingy, I've changed my mind. The job doesn't sound all

that interesting after all."

"But...but..."

"Sorry, no wait, I'm not sorry."

"But..."

"You're gonna have to find yourself another pigeon, I mean another

diagnostician. Toodles." And House hung up, a satisfied smile on

his face.

Gretchen and Emily were eating their lunches with three other kids

from their class, Adam, Donnie and Debby, when they saw Meredith and

her crew surrounding the new boy, Jared Pauley. Gretchen watched for

a while as she finished her sandwich, then stood. "I'll be right

back." But the others were right behind her when she reached the

three girls and the thin bespectacled boy and saw that he was trying

hard not to cry.

"Well, here are two more kids without fathers," Meredith said,

indicating Gretchen and Em. "The three of you should form a club."

"Do too have a Dad," Jared protested. "Only he's too sick to be with

us."

"Oh, yeah." "Sure," DeeDee and Ceci said.

"Don't listen to them, Jared," Gretchen said.

"Yeah, they don't know anything," Adam added.

"They don't even know that Gretchen has a Dad," Emily said, grinning

that she knew something Meredith and her friends didn't know.

"In her dreams!" Meredith said.

"No, in New Jersey," Gretchen corrected.

"Well isn't that convenient. Bet you can't prove it!" Meredith

challenged her.

"How much?" Gretchen asked like a true House.

"I've seen him," Emily offered. "He's definitely real. And Gretchen

and her Mom are moving to New Jersey to be with him."

"Just because you and your mother are gonna live with a man in New

Jersey doesn't make him your father," DeeDee told Gretchen. It may

have been the longest sentence any of them had ever heard from her,

and it sounded like it came from experience. Gretchen filed it away

for future reference.

"He's my real Dad, but you know, it doesn't matter whether you

believe me or not," Gretchen said and turned and walked away.

Em, Adam, Donnie and Debby followed, then Donnie turned back and

asked, "Jared, do you play basketball?"

"Well, yeah, a little."

"C'mon, let's shoot some hoops."

The three girls and three boys headed over to where some of their

classmates were taking turns throwing a basketball through a hoop.

"I'm kinda short for basketball, but I like to play," Jared told them.

"Well, I'm shorter, but these guys don't seem to care," Emily said

to reassure him. "So, what's wrong with your Dad?"

"I don't really know, but he's in a hospital back in Hartford and

Mom and my brother and I had to move in with my grandparents."

"Well, this is a good school and most of the kids are really nice,"

Debbie told him.

"Was that true?" Donnie asked Gretchen. "Are you really moving to

New Jersey?"

"Yes," the tall girl with the blue eyes replied.

"And you'll be living with your real Dad?" Adam asked.

"Oh, yeah, and he's totally outrageous!"

Cameron sat staring at a copy of one of the pictures she'd taken of

House and Gretchen at the piano. Just looking at the photo made her

smile. They were so alike and so in tune with one another. It was

times like this that she felt a twinge of regret. Should she have

told House about her pregnancy or about Gretchen after she was born?

House had tried to convince her that neither of them could have

predicted that he'd love the child so much. Nothing he'd done during

the time she worked for him had indicated he had the capacity. Maybe

that he could be a tender and playful Dad to a child, but to love

her? He said even he never thought he had it in him.

She'd learned so much more about what he was capable of over the past

few weeks. If anything, it made her love him even more, and, yes, to

miss him more when he wasn't there.

She turned to her computer. There was so much she had to wrap-up

before she left. She almost missed the fact that she had a new

message. It was from the New England Journal of Medicine electronic

edition, asking her to write an article about her experiences with treatments for the Brazilian flu. She almost sent her regrets. She had so much else to do over the next three weeks, where would she find the time to write an article?

But then she thought 'why not?' and emailed that she'd do it. She'd

written articles before, but had never been asked to write one.

She smiled. For once everything in her life was going right.

**Chapter 48. WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN**

"Hi Mom," Gretchen sang out as she entered her mother's office after

school.

"Hi, Sweetheart. How was school?" Cameron asked.

"Good. There's a new boy in our class. He seems very nice but his

father's very sick so he and his family had to move here."

"That's too bad," Cameron said. "Do you know what's wrong?"

"No. He didn't know," the girl replied.

"Oh."

"Can we call Dad now?" Gretchen asked.

Cameron smiled at her. They both were looking forward to this call.

"Sure."

They sat side by side at the picture phone and called House. He

answered immediately and all three said "Hi" simultaneously, then

laughed.

"How was your day, Squirt?" House asked.

"Fine. I was just telling Mom about the new boy in my class. How

'bout you?"

"A boy, huh?" House hadn't gotten past that comment.

"Dad! He's just a friend like the other boys in my class," Gretchen

explained.

"Hmmm." House wasn't convinced.

Gretchen repeated "So how was your day?"

House brightened. "I told McStingy what he could do with his job

offer. He was in fine form, but I guess he never dealt with the likes

of Gregory House before! Allie, you're very quiet."

"I was asked to write a paper about the Brazilian flu," she told them.

House whistled. "An invited article? My, you're coming up in the

world. You're doing it aren't you?"

Cameron decided to play him along a little and tried to sound

hesitant. "I, um, guess so."

"Do it."

"Oh, and is that an order Dr. House?"

"Yeah, if that's what it'll take."

She finally broke down and laughed. "Of course I'm gonna do it." She

tried to think of something else to talk about. "Hey, I had an idea.

Next weekend, instead of one of us driving four hours each way, why

don't we meet someplace halfway?"

"What, like in New York City?" House pondered the idea.

"Ooh, yeah! We can go to the zoo!" Gretchen suggested but then,

seeing her parents lack of enthusiasm, she added, "or maybe a ball

game."

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Cameron agreed. "Greg, whaddya

think?"

"You're sure that's OK with Miss 'I don't like sports'?"

"Sure, it'll be fun. Maybe we can even eat junk food for a change."

They all chuckled.

"Ummm, is there anything I'm supposed to be doing here?" House asked.

"Seems like you've got the Albany angles covered."

"Could you get some information on the different school systems?"

Cameron asked.

"You mean what prison camp is best for the Squirt?" House countered.

"Maybe I should look for an all-girls school, or better yet, a

convent." He was still thinking about Gretchen's comments about the

boys at her school.

"Dad!"

"OK, we'll rule out the convent. You probably have to be Catholic or

something." He seemed to be giving it some thought. "City of

Princeton schools are OK, you know."

"I guess." Cameron had no idea.

"Yeah, 80% of the kids go on to college. Of course, the schools in

Wilson's district are the top rated one's in this part of the state.

And there's always private schools. The one run by the University is

supposed to be excellent..."

"You've already researched this, haven't you?" Cameron said with a

grin.

House just shrugged.

"Well, we can talk about this some more tonight. Looks like you might

have a new case," Cameron said. She could see Chase entering House's

office, carrying a file. "Talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye Dad," Gretchen echoed.

"Bye," House said, then turned to Chase. "You could knock." He wasn't

really embarrassed that Chase found him talking to Cameron and

Gretchen, but he was beginning to treasure his private time with

them, even if it was only on the picture phone.

Chase ignored his comment. "I've got another patient for you, House."

"I can't afford another one of your patients," House snarled. "One

long-lost daughter is plenty."

"Yeah, I hear she's taken up residence," Chase said. "In your heart."

A smile flittered across House's face.

"This one's a fourteen-year-old boy, brought in by his seventeen-

year-old sister. Mom's at work and she didn't want to bother her."

"And?" House asked, impatiently.

"He's running a high fever, the symptoms mimic malaria, aches and

shivering, but he tested negative of course. Where would a teenage

boy living in New Jersey pick up something like that?"

"Not our new friend, the Brazilian flu, I take it?" House asked.

"No, it appears to be a parasite, but we haven't found it in his

bloodstream," Chase replied.

"OK, give the file to your girlfriend." House could see Sullivan

sitting in the conference room, going over some files on line.

"Tell her to do a hemacult and start him on chloroquine. And

recheck the blood films."

But before he left, Chase had a question. "I hear that Cameron's

coming back to PPTH. Is it true?"

House studied his face, keenly aware that Chase might still harbor

some feelings for Allison. "She starts the first week in October."

He gave the younger doctor a 'make something of that' look.

"I'm sure you'll be happy to have Gretchen nearby."

House just smiled.

"OK, I'll say it," Chase decided. "Don't treat Cameron the way you did

before."

"No worries, mate," House said. "Then again, I should say the same to

you."


	25. Chapters 49 and 50

_I'll try to post a two more chapters of this before I leave for my next trip on Saturday to meet some other House fanfic writers in Vegas._

**Chapter 49. IT'S FRIENDSHIP, FRIENDSHIP**

"Les, House wants you to run a hemacult and start the patient on

chloroquine, then recheck the blood films," Chase said, handing

Sullivan the printouts from the boy's file.

"What's wrong?" she asked, scanning the pages and starting to call

up the complete online file.

"High fever, muscle aches and shivering."

"Malaria?" she guessed, but was skeptical.

"No, but maybe some other parasitic disease," Chase said.

"The family history's pretty sparse," she said as she read the file.

"His sister brought him in. You can talk to her. She's still here.

You should also notify the mother that you're admitting him," he

advised.

"I suppose my boss won't notify her," she said.

"Don't even ask."

A young woman in jeans and a pink T-shirt, carrying a just as pink

purse knocked on the door and came in. "Dr. Chase. They told me I'd

find you here."

"Sophia, this is Leslie Sullivan. She's one of the doctors taking

over your brother's case," he said.

"Hi," she said, extending a hand with glittery nails, but her grip

was firm. Leslie noticed the girl was even shorter than she was. "Can

you tell me what's wrong with Michael?"

"We'll have to do some tests, but we think he may have a disease

caused by a parasite."

Sophia's brown eyes went wide. "Isn't that pretty unusual around

here? I mean, if this were a third world country, I could understand,

but..."

The two doctors looked at her in astonishment.

"What?" she asked.

"You seem to know quite a bit about diseases," Chase said.

Sophia shrugged. "I thought I might want to be a doctor someday."

"Why don't you sit down and tell me a little more about what your

brother has been doing this summer," Leslie suggested.

"I'll leave you two ladies to that. Gotta get back to ICU," Chase

said as he left.

"Got a minute?" Wilson asked as he stuck his head through House's

open office door.

"I don't know. I think there's one here somewhere." House pretended

to shuffle stuff on his desk.

"I wanna do something special for Tommy's birthday."

"Next weekend," House stated, stopping the pretense.

"You remembered?" Wilson was amazed. "He'll have a party at school

on Friday, but we wanted to do something as a family over the weekend

only I can't think of anything special enough."

On impulse, House said, "I'm meeting Cameron and Gretchen in the city

to go to a ballgame on Saturday. Bet Tommy would love that too."

"Are you inviting us to go with you?" This was very unlike House.

"Well, maybe not inviting. Exactly. I just meant you can do the same

thing," House explained.

"Yeah but he'd love it even more if it was with you and Gretchen and

I guess Cameron too!" Wilson was excited by the idea.

"So, you wanna do something next weekend?" Emily asked Gretchen.

"Oh, Em. I'm sorry," Gretchen said and she was. "I can't. We're going

to New York City to meet Dad and see a ballgame."

"Oh, that's OK," a disappointed Emily said. "Maybe some other time."

"Maybe we can have a sleepover tonight instead," Gretchen suggested.

"I'll have to ask my mother," Emily said, but she was somewhat

happier.

"Or maybe our Moms can take us to the movies."

"On a school night?" Em asked.

"Yeah, you're right. Well, ask your Mom about the sleepover at least."

"Listen up, ladies," House greeted his two girls when they called

that afternoon. "It's Tommy's birthday this weekend and the Wilson-

Cuddy clan will be joining us at the ballgame."

"Hooray!" Gretchen said.

"Hooray?"

"Well, that's what they say in my books when they're happy," she

defended her choice of word.

"Did you ever hear anyone say that in real life?" her father asked,

scrunching up his face.

"Well, no. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't," she protested.

"So there'll be six of us?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah."

"Dad, um, could we ask Emily and her mother to come too?" Gretchen

asked tentatively, then added, "She wanted to do something with me

this weekend but I said I couldn't and she was soooo disappointed."

"It is one of the last weekends they can do something together,"

Cameron pointed out.

"You buying?" House asked.

"Greg!" she retorted.

"I guess that means there'll be eight of us," House said, resignedly.

"Hooray!" Gretchen said again.

House just stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed.

**Chapter 50. NIGHT MOVES**

That evening, Clair brought Emily to Cameron's house for the girls'

sleepover. Gretchen greeted her friend with a big smile. "Guess what!

We can spend the weekend together after all!"

Clair looked at Cameron for an explanation.

"We're meeting House in New York City for a ballgame and Gretchen

suggested that you two come with us," Cameron told her.

The girls had headed to the kitchen to get a snack.

"Dr. Cuddy and her husband and son are going, too. It'll be a good

opportunity for you to meet her and we can sound her out about the

job at PPTH. That is, if you're interested," Cameron concluded.

"I've been reluctant to say anything to Emily, you know, just in

case it doesn't happen, but, yeah, it might be a good move for us,"

Clair said.

"So you'll come this weekend?" Cameron asked.

"Well, I can't very well say no, now that Gretchen told Emily," Clair

replied with a smile.

The girls returned, each carrying a bottle of water and a big freshly-

baked chocolate chip cookie. "Can we watch a movie?" Gretchen asked.

"Have you both finished your homework?" Cameron asked.

"Yes," Emily answered.

"I finished mine after we talked to Dad today," Gretchen said. "Then

Emily and I worked together on our project."

"Ah, the miracles of telecommunication!" Clair said. "Just remember,

it's still a school night."

"We won't stay up too late," Emily said.

"C'mon, I just got the newest disk of anime," Gretchen said, as they

moved towards the entertainment center.

"So now that you have a free night, what are your plans?" Cameron

asked.

"I could go clothes shopping or out to a club or something, but what

I think I'll do is take a nice long bath and then curl up with a good

book!"

"Well, whatever you do, just enjoy."

"Thanks, Allison, for watching Em tonight and for everything else,"

Clair said. "You've been a really good friend."

Later, when the girls were settled in Gretchen's room with an order

to turn off the lights and go to sleep, Cameron made herself

comfortable on the couch, her legs tucked under her, and called

House.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi."

"I got the girls off to bed."

"Are Clair and Emily coming to the ballgame?" House asked, but he

was pretty sure what the answer would be.

"Yeah."

"Anyone else we need to invite?" he asked sarcastically. "Like your

beautician or the paper boy?"

"House, you started it by inviting Wilson."

"I didn't invite him. He needed something to do with Tommy for his

birthday and I suggested that a ballgame might be good."

"And told him that's what we were doing, so naturally he took it as

an invitation," Cameron said.

"Something like that."

"Well, I'm glad they're coming and Clair and Emily too. Did you say

it was Tommy's birthday? We have to get him a gift!" she exclaimed.

She didn't have to see his face to know that House was rolling his

eyes. "Well we do!" she insisted.

"Hey, I didn't say anything."

"No, but you were thinking it," she said, chuckling. She'd been

concerned about something else, but didn't know how to approach him

about it. Maybe with a question. "House, can you ever say 'no' to

Gretchen and stick to it?"

"Hey, I said 'no' about the pooch," he protested.

"But?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're still considering it, aren't you?" she asked.

"What's wrong with getting a dog? Are you so opposed to it?" he

countered.

"No! It's more the principal of the thing. And if we give in about

the dog, who knows what she'll ask for next."

"You're afraid she'll still want the sibling too."

"Well..."

"I think I can be firm on that one," House said, but he didn't sound

sure. "OK, I know you don't like to talk about our age difference,

but look at it this way. I'll be sixty-six when Gretchen graduates

from high school and seventy when she graduates from college, even

older when she gets her medical degree..."

"Who says she wants to be a doctor?"

"...when she gets her medical degree. If we had another child now,

I'd be paying for school until I'm ninety!"

"Well, I may be younger, but I'm kinda old myself to be having a

child," she agreed.

"Exactly! We'd have to be idiots to even think about it."

"Yeah."

"I guess we'd better think about it sooner rather than later, then."

"Yeah."


	26. Chapters 51 and 52

_These are the last two chapters before I leave for a few days. If I can't post while I'm in Vegas, I should have more chapters up at the end of next week._

**Chapter 51 LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LAND**

The only one in the elevator when House got on the next morning was

Foreman, who acknowledged him with a curt "House" and then faced

the door.

"So how are the schools in your neighborhood?" House asked in a

conversational tone, seemingly out of the blue.

"Say what?"

"I asked about your local school system," House repeated. "I assume

you and Dana moved there for the schools."

"Yes, they're very good. Maybe not in a class with those in Cuddy's

and Wilson's area, but far better than Princeton schools."

"Housing expensive?" House wondered.

A light dawned. "I heard that Cameron was coming back. You want to

make sure your daughter goes to a good school."

House just stared at him.

"Prices aren't bad," Foreman finally answered the question.

"What about condos?"

"Doesn't Cameron have a house in Albany? Why would she want a condo?"

Foreman asked.

House shrugged. "It's more expensive to live here."

"And you're not about to help support your daughter," Foreman accused.

"Who says?" House asked indignantly.

As the elevator 'dinged' and the doors opened on House's floor,

Foreman shook his head. He didn't need House messing with his mind

this early in the morning.

House found his ducklings sitting around the conference table.

"OK, people, what's the story on the kid with the fever?" he threw

out, then walked into his office to put down his bag.

"The new blood films indicate malaria," Sullivan shouted, but he'd

returned before she finished.

"I may be old, but I can still hear," House said. "So, you think it's

malaria. Has he been out of the country?"

"No," Yen said.

"Then how did he get it?"

Their faces were blank.

"OK, let's look at this another way, is the chloroquine working?"

"Maybe we haven't given it enough time yet?" Sheffield suggested.

Obviously it wasn't working.

House sighed dramatically. "It. Is. Not. Malaria," he said.

"But what about the blood films?" Sullivan protested, putting them up

and pointing. "Isn't that a malaria signature?"

"Looks like it, doesn't it?" House agreed.

She felt vindicated, momentarily.

"But it's not malaria!" House repeated. "Give him atovaquone."

"Isn't that an antimalarial?" Yen asked, completely confused.

"Works on other parasites too," he said. "Just do it, and then try and

figure out what's really wrong with him." House went back to his

office and closed the door.

Foreman had finished checking his current patients. House's questions

were still nagging at him, or rather the reason House was even asking

those questions. The person who would know was Wilson, but the

Oncologist wasn't in his office, so Foreman headed for the cafeteria

to see if he was there. After all, it was lunchtime.

He got a tray and some food, then looked around for Wilson. He

spotted him right away, but he wasn't alone. Lisa Cuddy sat across

from him and they were deep in conversation. Well, he wasn't about

to interrupt the hospital administrator and her husband.

So, who else might have the answer? Chase of course! Who knew what

the Intensivist learned from his girlfriend about her boss? And

Chase was sitting alone. Foreman headed towards the table where

Chase was, but before he reached it, Sullivan sat down. Foreman

decided that maybe it was time to give up.

He found an empty table and sat down. As he started the second half

of his sandwich, a shadow formed across the table and he looked up

to find House looming over him.

"Mind if I sit down?" House asked. 'Polite!House?' Foreman wondered.

"Be my guest," Foreman said.

"Look, I know I don't owe you an explanation," House began, "but just

for the record, I'm looking for a place for the three of us. So if

you know of any three-bedroom condos with a bit of a yard for a dog,

let me know."

"The three of you are gonna live together?" Foreman couldn't believe

his ears. "Whoa! When did this happen?" He didn't wait for an answer

because he knew he probably wouldn't get one, at least not a direct

one. "I know you like to play with people's heads, but I hope your

not doing that with Cameron. The girl still has feelings for you,

you know."

"The 'girl' is a grown woman," House corrected. "This is between me

and Cameron. And Gretchen." His voice softened. "Foreman, we just

want to try to make this work."

Foreman had thought his earlier conversation with House was a mind-

blower, but this was way beyond that.

**Chapter 52. TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME**

Tommy Wilson was smiling when he came down to breakfast Saturday

morning. It was his birthday and he was nine years old. Finally. His

Mom was in the kitchen fixing breakfast. But what was she wearing?

She'd worn jeans before, at least on the weekend. But she also had

on a T-shirt reading 'Detroit Tiger' and a matching ball cap on her

head, her dark hair hanging out the back in a ponytail. Her outfit

was completed with an old pair of Converse sneakers.

"Morning Tommy," she greeted him with a smile. He'd almost accepted

what she was wearing when his Dad came in wearing jeans and a plain

white T-shirt (no pocket, therefore no pocket protector).

"Happy Birthday, son," he said.

"Why are you guys dressed like that?" he asked. They were usually

casual on the weekends, but not like this!

"You'll see," Wilson said smiling at him.

Just then he heard a motor outside. He went to the window near the

front door and looked out. It was his Uncle Greg, arriving on his

motorcycle. Tommy let House in. "Happy Birthday, Slugger," House

said, tousling the boys hair. "So, you gonna feed me?" he asked

Cuddy. "It's a loooong ride."

She handed him a cup of coffee, then pointed to the carton of eggs

and the pan she'd used for her family's breakfast. "Help yourself,"

she said with a smirk.

"Got the tickets?" Wilson asked.

House held up four. "I had the other four delivered to Cameron," he

said, then turned to Tommy. "Happy Birthday, Slugger," he said again

and handed him the tickets.

Tommy looked at them, his eyes as wide as saucers. He was so

transfixed by what was in his hand that he barely heard his Dad say

"Gretchen and her Mom and two friends are meeting us there."

All he could say was, "Hooray!"

House laughed. "Have you been talking to Gretchen?"

"She messaged me to tell me that she and her Mom are going to move

here," he said. "They are, aren't they?" he asked the three adults.

"Yes, Tommy," his mother confirmed.

House was suddenly glad they'd told Gretchen that the ballgame was

a surprise for Tommy. She could have easily told him and spoiled the

effect.

They finished their breakfasts, Cuddy relenting at House's pleading

eyes and cooking him some too, and were soon on their way to NYC.

Cameron, Gretchen, Clair and Emily were already driving south. Emily

was excited about finally meeting Gretchen's friend Tommy.

"Mom, can we ask Aunt Lisa to find Aunt Clair a job at PPTH, too?"

Gretchen suddenly asked.

Cameron and Clair exchanged looks.

"I think we've pushed Dr. Cuddy enough for now," Cameron told her.

Gretchen narrowed her eyes at her mother. "Did you and Aunt Clair

talk about this already? Is there something you know that you're not

telling us?"

Emily was listening to the conversation intently. She hadn't even

thought about the possibility. She waited for Cameron to answer.

"Let's just let Dr. Cuddy meet your Aunt Clair, OK?"

The two girls looked at each other and held up crossed fingers,

smiles appearing on their faces.

As the Princeton contingent made their way to their seats at New

Yankee Stadium, House asked Tommy, "Ever been to a ballgame before?"

Tommy, still wide-eyed with excitement, said, "No, never. I've only

seen games on TV."

"I don't think Gretchen has either, or her friend Emily."

"Emily's coming too? Double hooray!" Tommy whooped.

House had sprung for box seats for them all, since it was a birthday

present for Tommy, and since this treat was for Gretchen too. Oh,

and, of course, for himself.

The two women and two girls were already there when House and the

Cuddy-Wilsons arrived.

"Dad!" Gretchen shouted and grabbed him around the waist.

"Take it easy kiddo," House said, chuckling at the strength of her

tackle.

Then she spotted Tommy. "Tommy! Happy Birthday! Isn't this great?"

All he could do was nod in agreement. But he suddenly became shy when

he saw the blond girl with Gretchen.

"Tommy, this is my best friend Emily," Gretchen said, trying to make

it a grown-up kind of introduction. "Emily, this is Tommy, my best

friend in New Jersey."

Emily was just as shy as Tommy. "Hi," she managed.

"Hey, now you're nine like us," Gretchen told the boy.

"Yeah," he said, grinning.

Their seats were two rows of four. "Why don't you kids sit together,"

Cameron suggested. She didn't really want the fourth kid to sit with

them, wanting him all to herself, but someone had to. Clair solved

the dilemma by volunteering, leaving Cuddy and Wilson as well as

House and Cameron to sit behind them.

Tommy and Emily quickly got over their shyness and the three children

were soon chattering away about their seats with the mini-viewscreens

that allowed you to see each play close-up, about their closeness to

the field, and about which team to root for, the Tigers or the

Yankees.

The adults, too, found things to talk about while they waited for

the game to begin.

"So Clair, you work with Cameron?" Wilson asked.

She turned in her seat to talk to him. "Yes. I'm a hematologist at

Albany Childrens'."

"She runs the labs at ACH," Cameron told him. Cuddy seemed to find

this very interesting.

"As well as I can, given the restricted funding for new equipment

lately," Clair said.

Cuddy filed the information away for consideration, then asked,

"Allison, have you put your house on the market yet?"

"Yes, I listed it yesterday. They said it should sell pretty quickly,

since it's moderate-sized and -priced."

The game was about to start and everyone rose for the National

Anthem. And finally the umpire called out, "Plaaaay baaall!"


	27. Chapters 53 and 54

_Back from Vegas and ready to post a couple of chapters. I only have about half a chapter so far for anything I'm currently working on, so those won't be posted until Sunday or Monday._

_Glennie and Retta, I completely forgot where they ate in the second of these chapters! I swear! _

**Chapter 53. BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKER JACKS**

They all watched the game intently for a while. The kids were so

engrossed they didn't fidget at all. House soon had an arm draped

around Cameron's shoulders. She leaned against him and whispered,

"I missed you."

By the start of the second inning, House had found an order panel in

the arm of his chair listing all the treats available. "Who

wants hot dogs, fries and beer?"

A chorus of "Me...Me"s came from the peanut gallery in front of him.

"But not the beer part for the kids," Cameron insisted.

"Except for the big kid, right?" House asked, and she rolled her

eyes.

He ordered food for everyone, soft drinks for the other kids and

beer for everyone else.

"I kinda miss the vendors," Cuddy said wistfully. "What's a ballgame

without someone shouting 'Get your ice cold beer here!'?"

"Do they still sell Cracker Jacks?" Wilson wondered, as he scrolled

through the list of selections on the menu. "Yes! There is a God!"

House gave him an exasperated look, but was pleased when his friend

ordered some of those too.

When the food came, Clair insisted on paying. "You've treated us to

these wonderful seats and you really didn't have to," she told House.

"The least I can do is pay for all of this."

He didn't argue.

They ate and watched the game go on, inning after inning. House's

hand reached out for Cameron's, but after holding it a little while

it continued on to snag a few of her fries.

"Look what I got!" Tommy had come to the bottom of his box of Cracker

Jacks and discovered the little plastic prize. The girls (and House)

then had to reach through the remaining caramelized popcorn to find

theirs too.

One vendor did come by with pennants and caps and other souvenirs.

Tommy wanted a cap like his Mom's and a pennant to match, but the

girls, being from New York State, if not the city, got Yankees caps

and pennants.

At one point the Yankees were ahead 3 to 1 but in the sixth inning

the Tigers star home-run hitter came through with a bases-loaded

homer, and Detroit went ahead 5 to 3. Tommy and his parents cheered,

but were almost drowned out by the 'boos' from the Yankee fans among

them.

During the seventh inning stretch, Cuddy again brought up Clair's

qualifications.

"I don't know whether House said anything to you about it, but the

head of our labs will probably retire this year."

"Finally," Wilson added.

"Well, I couldn't very well force him to retire with the current

labor laws protecting senior citizens who want to work. I'll be looking for a replacement for him. Would you be at all interested?" She watched intently for Clair's answer, but couldn't help noticing the pleased looks that passed between House and Cameron and between Gretchen and Emily.

"I can send you my resume," Clair suggested, trying to hide her

pleasure at being asked. "You know, Em and I are going to miss

Gretchen and Allison and, frankly, Albany Childrens' is no longer

the good place to work it once was."

Cuddy looked at House and then at Cameron. "Have I been set up here?"

she asked with a smile.

They both tried for the innocent look, but Cuddy knew them both too

well, and especially House, to fall for it. She shrugged. If Clair

was as good a doctor as Cameron, PPTH would be happy to have her.

The game was about to continue, so everyone settled back down to

watch. House ordered another round of hot dogs for anyone who

wanted them. He knew he did.

The Yankees were able to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth

inning, but Detroit scored two more runs in the ninth and won the

game.

As they made their way out of the stands, the adults talked about

what else they might do while they were in the Big Apple. They'd

decided to spend the night in the city and Cameron had found a

moderately-priced hotel for them all in midtown Manhattan. More and

more of those were being built as the city tried to appeal to

families of tourists from all over the country. Not everyone was

able to afford several hundreds of dollars for a night in a hotel

room.

Suddenly they heard a woman yell "Yoohoo, Greg!" and then whistle

loudly to get their attention. They all stopped and saw a woman

approaching, accompanied by a teenage boy and one much younger.

"Who's that?" Cuddy asked.

"She's either House's Wednesday hooker or his cousin Laura from da

Bronx, whichever story you choose to believe," her husband answered.

"I tend towards the second one, only because of the kids she has

with her."

**Chapter 54. WHEN YOU GET CAUGHT BETWEEN THE MOON AND NEW YORK CITY**

"This is amazing!" the dark-haired woman said. "I hadn't seen you for

twenty-five years and then twice in less than a month?"

"Amazing," House repeated, but not like he meant it.

She held out her hand to Cameron, whom she recognized from House's

computer lockscreen picture. "Hi, I'm Greg's cousin Laura."

Knowing that House wasn't about to make introductions, Cameron took

over. "Hi, Laura. I'm Allison Cameron, this is our daughter Gretchen,

and these are friends of ours, Jim Wilson and his wife Lisa and

their son Tommy and Clair Palmer and her daughter Emily."

"So what are you all doing here?" Laura asked.

"Hey, we're only two hours from home. Do you just jump on a plane

every time you want to take your kids to a ballgame?" House said.

"We're here to visit my mother. She still lives in the Bronx, you

know. I decided to treat the boys to a ballgame while we were here.

Boys, this is my cousin Greg, the one I told you about, the doctor."

House rolled his eyes, so Laura turned to everyone else and said

"This is my middle son Jared, the one who was touring Princeton last

week." She indicated the good-looking teenager, who didn't seem

interested in meeting relatives, but resignedly said, "Hi."

Laura went on. "And this is Shane" she indicated the smaller boy. The

adults, all doctors, were well aware that the little boy had Downs

Syndrome. The boy was about five or six and clung to his mother's

leg, peering at all of these strangers.

"Hi Jared and Shane," Gretchen said. "I guess we're sorta cousins,

then."

"Shane, did you like the ballgame?" Tommy asked. Laura had noticed

that he had braces on his legs but was too polite to ask why.

"I like baseball," Shane replied.

"Me too," Tommy said.

"Me three," Gretchen said.

Not to be left out, Emily said, "Me four!" The nine-year-olds all

laughed, and Shane finally let go of his mother to walk over to them.

"They're really good with him," Laura marveled.

"You should see them with Wilson's bald-headed dying kids," House

commented.

"House, must you deride all kids with diseases and disabilities?"

Wilson asked.

"I just refuse to automatically put them on a pedestal. Just because

someone is disabled doesn't make them a saint."

"You should know," Cuddy said.

"See, Cuddy gets my point."

"But DS kids are inherently sweet and docile," Cameron said.

"They can also just be kids, wanting their own way and throwing

tantrums when they don't get it," Laura told her, unconsciously

agreeing with her cousin.

Jared had been listening to the adults conversation, and finally told

House, "You have an interesting view of things."

Laura had told House that the boy wanted to be a journalist. "What

do you mean by 'interesting'?"

"Well, um, novel maybe?" Jared struggled for the right word.

"Maybe 'unconventional'? or 'controversial'? or just plain stupid?"

House asked. "If you're gonna be a journalist, you should learn to

use words more precisely."

Jared seemed taken aback at first, but soon realized that he was

right. "I guess I really meant 'unconventional' but definitely not

stupid. Shane can be a pain sometimes."

"Well, I'd better get these boys back to my mom's. Good to see you

again, Greg. Nice to meet you all," Laura said. "C'mon Shane."

But the boy now didn't want to leave his new-found friends.

"Shane," Gretchen said. "Next time your Mom brings your brother to

Princeton, maybe she'll bring you, too, and you can visit us and see

Tommy, and maybe even Emily."

"Visit?" Shane asked.

"Yes, Shane, we'll visit them some time soon, OK?" Laura said.

"OK," he agreed and went off with his mother and brother.

The five adults and three children arrived at their hotel about

forty-five minutes later and checked in. Cuddy had suggested that

they meet in the lobby at six so she could take them all to her

'favorite' restaurant in New York, but she wouldn't tell them what

kind of food they'd be eating.

When they were all assembled, she told them, "We can walk from here."

They started off up Broadway and then walked North on Seventh

Avenue where the two streets diverged. The entire area of the city

had been cleaned up at the turn of the century and was now pristine and

safe.

Before long they'd reached their destination, the Carnegie Deli.

"It may be a little expensive for a deli," Cuddy said. "But this meal's

on us, so don't worry."

It took a while for them to be seated, as they were a large group

and it was a Saturday night. But once they settled in at a table in

the crowded, noisy restaurant they were able to read the extensive

menu.

"I know what you're gonna order," Cameron said to House, who was

sitting next to her. "But I can't decide what I want. So many things

look good."

"The corned beef or pastrami are always delicious," Cuddy told her

from across the table.

"Matzo ball soup! I haven't had that in years!" Wilson said.

"Mom, what's a 'potato knish'?" Emily asked Clair.

"It's like mashed potato and onions inside a crust, isn't it?" Clair

asked looking around the table for help.

"Yeah, sorta," Cuddy said. "And save room for the cheesecake!"

Eventually they all ordered. The old waiter returned quickly with

their beverages, as well as bowls of pickles and cole slaw,

and then not long afterward with their sandwiches and side dishes.

"How can anyone save room for desert after sandwiches as thick as

these?" Cameron asked. "There must be a pound of meat in this one!"

It was quiet for a while as they dug into their food, but then they

began to plan what they wanted to do on Sunday.


	28. Chapters 55 and 56

_I intended to post these yesterday, but we had a book club meeting in the evening, and a chapter of There's A Place to post, so I didn't have a chance._

**Chapter 55. NEW YORK, NEW YORK, ITS A WONDERFUL TOWN**

Only House and Wilson were able to finish their sandwiches, but

Cuddy had raved so much about the cheesecake that the women and kids

got two pieces to share. House, of course, wanted his own, and Wilson

thought he did too, until it came and was so large he grimaced. In

the end he was able to eat half of it.

"Pity to let the rest go to waste," House said, exchanging his empty

plate for Wilson's, and finishing off that piece too.

"So, are we all set for tomorrow?" Cuddy asked. The chorus of 'yes'es

indicated all around agreement. They headed back to the hotel.

When they arrived, they made straight for the two

elevators. Wilson, Cuddy and the children were able to squeeze onto

one crowded but open elevator, but House Cameron and Clair had to

wait for the other one. As they got on, Clair told Cameron "I can

take both girls if you and House want me to."

Cameron glanced at him, but he was studiously watching the floor

numbers light up. "House might want to spend some time with

Gretchen," Cameron replied, as they reached their floor.

"That can wait until tomorrow," House said. Cameron looked at him and

smiled.

"Do you think Tommy will feel left out?" Clair asked. They walked

down the hallway to join the others.

"I think he'll be OK," Cameron said.

Soon, House and Cameron were alone in their room.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied.

"This feels kind of strange," Cameron said.

"Yeah? How 'bout this?" House took her head in his hands, lacing his

fingers through her hair, and leaned over and kissed her.

She smiled at him. "Now that's familiar."

"Allison, much as I'm enjoying this weekend with everyone, all this

togetherness is getting to be a little much," House said.

"What are you saying?"

"Promise me that next weekend it'll just be the three of us?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. If that's all it was, she could live

with it. "Sure, I promise. Now, how are we going to make use of

tonight, just the two of us?"

The two girls didn't seem to be winding down from their exciting day.

"Aren't you both just a little tired?" Clair asked.

"Nope," Em said. She and Gretchen were checking out the choices from

the entertainment center in the room: TV programs, movies, sports

and cartoons.

"Ooooh! They have Pirates of the Caribbean 6!" Gretchen exclaimed.

"I love those movies!" Emily agreed.

"Haven't you already seen that one?" Clair asked.

"But it's so gooood!" Gretchen said, and Em agreed again, so Clair

turned it on and the three of them sat down to watch.

"Did you have a good birthday?" Cuddy asked her son.

"It was outrageous!" he said. "I loved the ballgame."

"You'll have to thank Uncle Greg again for suggesting it and getting

the tickets," she said.

"You like Gretchen and Emily?" Wilson asked him.

"Yes, they're both so much fun," Tommy said. "I wish they could both

move to New Jersey. And they're both so pretty, aren't they Dad?"

Cuddy and Wilson looked at each other with a mixture of amazement

and dismay. Their little boy was beginning to grow up.

House woke the next morning with a profound sense of well-being. Was

this what happiness was all about? Then why had he fought it for so

long? True his leg hurt, but no more nor less than it had for years.

But the center of his being, his heart and his head, that had been in

turmoil for most of his life was finally stilled. And rather than

taking the edge off his sharp tongue and quick mind, it seemed to

be allowing him to be sharper and quicker than ever.

He looked at the beautiful woman still sleeping beside him and

grinned.

"Can we order room service?" Emily asked her mother. They'd done that

once for breakfast on a trip they'd taken to Chicago to visit

family.

"I don't see why not," Clair said.

Gretchen had already brought up the room service menu on the screen

and was looking at what was available. "Should we let Mom and Dad

know? And Uncle Jim and Aunt Lisa and Tommy? Maybe they want

something too."

"I'll try their rooms, see whether they're awake. We can order for

everyone and then meet here to eat," Clair said as she picked up the

phone to call.

Cuddy was in the bathroom and Wilson was just waking up when the

phone rang in their room, so Tommy picked it up.

"Hello?" he said.

"Tommy, this is, uh, Emily's mother, are your mother and father

up yet?"

"Sure." He handed the phone to his father. "Dad, it's Emily's mom."

"'Morning Clair," Wilson said. "Are you ready for breakfast? We can

meet you downstairs in about twenty, make that thirty minutes." With

only one bathroom instead of the two they had at home, it would take

at least that amount of time for them to be ready.

"The girls wanted room service for breakfast and we were hoping you

could join us," Clair told him.

"That sounds like a good idea. I don't think Tommy has ever done

that. What about House and Cameron?"

"I was just about to call them," she replied.

"Well, we'll order what we want from our room and have it delivered

to yours" Wilson said.

"Sure," she said. "We'll see you in about half an hour."

The phone rang and rang in House and Cameron's room. Clair finally

gave up. She knew House would be mad that he'd missed a meal, but she

figured he was doing something he enjoyed even more than eating.

**Chapter 56. AUTUMN IN NEW YORK**

"Do you think we should've answered the phone?" Cameron asked about

half an hour later.

"Nah, probably Clair and the girls checking whether we're awake yet."

"Right. Well, I guess I'll call them now." She picked up the phone,

but stopped to admire House as he padded into the bathroom.

Everyone else was still eating breakfast when House and Cameron made

their appearance in Clair's and Emily's room.

"We ordered some eggs and French toast and bacon for you," Gretchen

told her parents, who were already sipping some coffee.

After breakfast they set out for the Museum of Natural History for

their first stop of the day. They took a city bus up Central Park

West to 79th street and crossed the street to the museum. The place

was way too big to explore completely in one day, so they picked the

Fossil Halls and the current IMAX film.

Looking up at the huge mastadon skeleton, Tommy was prompted to say,

"They were much, much bigger than the elephants at the zoo."

"And hundreds of times bigger than Memory," Gretchen said. Then she

explained, "That's the stuffed elephant Dad won for me at the ACH

family picnic."

Wilson and Cuddy looked at each other in astonishment.

Like all kids, Gretchen, Tommy and Emily were fascinated by all the

dinosaur fossils, especially the huge T. Rex.

Once they'd had their fill of bones, they went on to the IMAX theater

for a film about animals of the Kalahari. While everyone else was

fascinated, House caught up on his sleep.

But he was much more interested in where they were going next, the

biggest toy store in the world, FAO Schwarz.

He was also hungry and Wilson knew of a pizza place not far from the

museum. So they stopped to get some New York pizza, so good it didn't

need any toppings. It was also so hot that it burned the inside of

their mouths. The drippy sauce and cheese required tons of napkins.

And the taste, a mixture of sweet tomato and salty cheese, was worth all those inconveniences.

Finally they walked along the meandering paths through the park and

took another bus down to 59th Street. As they got off, Cuddy pointed

along Central Park South. "That's the Plaza Hotel."

"You mean where Eloise lived?" Emily asked, in awe.

"That's the one," Cuddy said.

They finally reached their destination.

As they entered, they saw the three-story singing clock tower and

then the information bear and Bobby the Toy Soldier.

"Now those are stuffed animals!" Tommy said, pointing to the life-

like menagerie.

"Look at the giant giraffe!" Emily cried.

They went up the escalator to the second floor, filled with every

board game imaginable as well as electronic versions of most of

them.

Wilson was fascinated with the Star Wars collections, but Clair and

Cuddy oohed and aahed over all the Barbies. "I think I had that one,

and that one," Cuddy said.

Gretchen and Emily just looked at each other and shrugged.

They finally reached the Book Monster on the third floor. All three

kids could have just settled down there with a book or two for the

rest of the day, but there was more to see.

A group of buildings made entirely of Legos. Little kids toys and big

kids toys. And of course the Giant Piano.

Two people were playing a tune on it and it seemed that anyone could

if they wanted.

"Dad, please, please can we do it?" Gretchen pleaded with her father.

House knew his legs were no where as nimble as his fingers, but then

again he had a third 'finger', his cane, to help with the chords.

Maybe if he hopped on his good leg and... He tried to work it out in

his head; he hated to tell her no, not about something like this.

"OK, Kiddo, you're on. You can do the melody. How 'bout something

simple?"

"Well, you can't get simpler than 'Heart and Soul'," she said.

"OK. Ready? On the count of three. One-two-," he stepped gingerly onto

the keyboard.

"What happened to 'three'?" she asked.

"Right. OK, again, one-two-three."

Cameron may have been the only one who wasn't amazed at how well

they did together, and even she swelled up with pride and love.

When they'd finished the applause was deafening. Gretchen took a

bow and motioned for House to do the same. He finally complied.


	29. Chapters 57 and 58

_Well, after a great weekend in New York City, it's back to reality for House, Cameron, Gretchen and their friends._

**Chapter 57. RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS ALWAYS GET ME DOWN**

It was Monday, but to make matters worse, it was raining. The kind of

light rain that the wipers only smear but never clear. The kind of

rain where the sky is just one uniform gunmetal gray cloud.

House dragged his wet self in Monday morning to find that Yen was

alone in the conference room, her head bent forward and her straight

black hair swinging around her face. She looked up as she heard

him approach.

"Dr. House," she said, as if she didn't expect him.

"How's fever boy?" he asked.

"You were right. The Atovaquone seems to be working and his fever's

down," she told him.

"And?"

"Oh, and we think it's Babesiosis."

"You think? You don't know?"

"Well..."

He shook his head. This one still lacked the confidence to commit to

a diagnosis. She had to become more decisive.

"What makes you THINK it's Babesiosis? I assume Sullivan and

Sheffield agree with you."

"Well, he responded to the Atovaquone."

"And?" he prompted again.

She took a deep breath. "He spent a month on Long Island this summer

and the parasite that causes Babesiosis is found primarily in the

Northeast U.S, mostly the islands off New York City and Massachusetts

so that fits."

He nodded. "Now we're getting somewhere."

"And Babesiosis mimics Malaria, only with a slightly different

signature in the red blood cells."

"Good. You should have said that in the first place, but that's

good. OK, continue the treatment, oh, and check for Lyme's disease.

The deer ticks that spread Babesiosis also carry Lyme's. And find the

dastardly tick and remove it."

Cameron stood by her office window. It hadn't been raining yet when

she'd driven to the hospital earlier, but now big drops were falling,

wetting the pavement below.

They'd had such a great weekend. But spending Saturday night and

Sunday morning with House made her miss him even more on Sunday

night. Well, soon this would be over. In just a couple of weeks

they'd be together, the three of them.

She sat down at her desk and began to go through her messages and

the files left for her to review. Her staff had reported three more

cases of the Brazilian flu. At least they had a protocol to follow

to identify and treat it. If only they could find a way to prevent

it so no more kids would get sick.

Since this was a children's hospital, all their patients were kids,

but Cameron couldn't remember seeing online reports of cases among

adults. She pulled up the CDC website to see if they had any

demographic statistics. Could it be that adults were immune to the

Brazilian flu?

"Wait until everyone sees the pictures I took this weekend," Emily

told Gretchen as they went to lunch. The gloomy weather that would

keep them indoors at lunchtime didn't dampen the high spirits the

two girls shared after their adventures in New York City. "I even

have a few of you and your dad on the piano. Now no one can say we're

making him up."

Gretchen smiled at her friend. They sat down at a table with Jared,

Adam and Debbie. As they ate their sandwiches, Gretchen and Emily

told the others about the huge ones they'd had Saturday night, then

Emily took out the photos.

"Whatcha got there?" Meredith taunted as she and her friends walked

by.

Emily held up the photo of House and Gretchen playing 'Heart and

Soul'. "That's Gretchen and her dad on the giant piano at FAO Schwarz

in New York City," Emily said. "See, he does exist."

"That old guy is your father?" Meredith said snidely.

"Yup," Gretchen said. "Bet your father would never do that. We had

the most outrageous time last weekend."

"Who's this?" Debbie asked. She was looking at a picture Clair took

of the three children in front of the museum.

"That's Tommy. He's a friend of ours. Well, he's Gretchen's friend,

but I think he's mine now, too," Emily said hopefully.

"Of course he is," Gretchen agreed.

"It figures you two would have a friend who's crippled," Meredith

said.

"Yeah, figures," DeeDee echoed.

"He's a lot nicer than you!" Gretchen said.

The three girls sneered and walked away, leaving Gretchen and Emily

and their friends still looking at the pictures. Jared stopped at

one of the three mothers. "Did you say your moms were doctors?"

"Yeah, and so's my dad, and Tommy's parents, too," Gretchen said. "My mom's

gonna work with them when we move to New Jersey."

"And we may be moving there too, so my mom can work at the same hospital," Emily

said. She so hoped it would happen.

"How's your dad?" Gretchen asked Jared.

"He's not getting any better," he replied. "They don't seem to know

what's wrong or how to make him well."

"Oh." Gretchen frowned.

"Maybe Gretchen's dad can examine him," Emily suggested. "He's a

di-ag-nos-ti-cian, right Gretchen?"

"What's that?" Debbie asked.

"Someone who figures out what's wrong when you're sick," Gretchen said

but she was already thinking of a way to ask House to take the case.

**Chapter 58. HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER**

"Mrs. Cassandra, we've found out that Michael has Babesiosis," Yen

told the patient's mother. "It's a parasitic disease transmitted by

deer ticks. You can thank Sophia for bringing him in to be treated."

The girl blushed at the compliment. She'd been dealing with all sorts

of accusations from her mother.

"We've given him an antiparasitic, found and removed the tick, and

confirmed that he doesn't have Lyme's disease" Sullivan added.

Both the mother and Sophia breathed sighs of relief.

"But how did he get it?" Sophia wanted to know.

"It's rare. But most documented cases occurred on the islands off

of New York City and Massachusetts" Yen replied. "You told us that

he spent July on eastern Long Island. That's probably where he

picked up the tick."

"When can he go home?" Mrs. Cassandra asked.

"At his current rate of recovery, tomorrow or the next day."

"Thanks, Dr. Yen, Dr. Sullivan" Sophia said. "I'm more determined

than ever to be a doctor like you two!"

The small Asian doctor smiled at her. "It was a very interesting

case. I'm just glad we could find out what it was and that it was

treatable."

"Have you thought about volunteering at the hospital?" Sully asked.

"Stop off at the hiring office before you leave and ask about some

of their programs" she suggested.

Wilson wasn't in his office, but House found him in the cafeteria

sitting with a middle-aged man wearing clean but well-worn clothes.

Well, Curious Greg wasn't about to stay away, despite the fact that

they were both intent on their conversation.

"There you are!" he announced, dragging over a chair to their table

and plopping himself down.

Wilson looked very annoyed by the interruption. "House, we're trying

to have a private talk."

"Go right ahead. Don't mind me." He began to eat, but it was obvious

that his eyes and ears were ready to take in everything.

Wilson gave up in disgust. "Marty this is my FORMER friend, Greg

House. House, this is my brother, Marty."

"Ah, the prodigal son, or in this case brother."

Marty gave him a perplexed look.

"Ignore him," Wilson advised. "So you say you've been clean and sober

for the last couple of years?"

"Yeah, I just need a better job than the one I have at Garcia's,"

Marty said.

"You work at Garcia's?" House said without swallowing so that it

came out as 'oo urk ah gahthes'. He swallowed before continuing.

"They have the best chile rellenos east of the Mississippi. Oh,

sorry, carry on, you were saying?"

Wilson rolled his eyes, and Marty went on. "I just bus tables. Pays

not too good, but I get some free meals. I've got a small apartment

nearby, an efficiency really."

"Did you talk to Ben?" Wilson asked.

Marty shook his head. "Wouldn't give me the time of day. Our

brother's still as hard-headed as ever."

"So you came to soft-touch Jimmy," House commented, then pressed his

lips together and mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.

"Do you think there are any jobs at the hospital?" Marty asked.

"I guess I can check with the administrator," Wilson reluctantly

offered.

"Yeah, he has a special in with her, if you know what I mean," House

blurted.

"House! That's enough," Wilson said angrily.

"Well, whatever you can do. Thanks Jimmy. And thanks for lunch."

Marty got up and left, with a curt nod at House.

"I'm surprised you didn't offer to take him home," House said, after

a minute's silence.

"It's one thing to give him a chance to prove himself, but quite

another to expose my son to him."

"He said he was off the sauce, off drugs."

"But for how long?" Wilson speculated.

"You've never kept me away from Tommy," House pointed out. He was

curious about Wilson's distrust of his brother. It only accentuated

the fact that he'd remained House's friend through everything.

"Marty is weak. He always was. You, you're too driven to ever let

your addictions rule your life." Wilson looked hard at his friend,

as he thought. "Yeah, you've experimented, and once or twice it's

gotten in the way of you being a brilliant diagnostician and

excellent doctor and occasionally decent human being. But Marty's

going to have to prove himself to me for a while before I'll let him

anywhere near Tommy."

"And you talk about Cuddy being overprotective."

"We'll have a quick dinner tonight," Cameron said as she and Gretchen

arrived at their place. "How about some chicken and macaroni and

cheese?"

"Yum."

"Mr. Thompson said he'd be bringing some potential buyers at seven to

see the house."

"Do you think they'll buy it?" Gretchen asked.

"We'll see."

As they were eating, Gretchen suddenly stopped and said, "Mom?"

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Are you and Dad going to get married?"

Cameron put down the forkful of macaroni she was about to eat. "I

don't know. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Tommy's parents are married, right?"

"Yes."

"And Em's mom and dad were married, too, before he was, you know,

killed." Clair's husband had been a photojournalist and had been

killed by a roadside bomb in the Middle East when Emily was two.

"That's right," Cameron confirmed. "Gretchen, your dad and I haven't

talked about it. I guess we've just been concentrating on other

things." She certainly didn't want to commit to anything when she

didn't know what House thought about the subject. If he even did.

But she felt she had to say something more. "If we ever decide

to get married, you'll be the first one we tell. Deal?"

Gretchen thought about it, then answered "OK, deal."

They finished their dinner in quiet and were putting the dishes in

the dishwasher when the realtor rang the bell.


	30. Chapters 59 and 60

_Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. I've tried to reply to all of the comments. But even if I didn't I appreciate them very much._

**Chapter 59. OUR HOUSE IS A VERY, VERY, VERY FINE HOUSE**

The doorbell rang and Gretchen ran to get it.

"Hi." She opened the door on a pleasant-looking young man

and a middle-aged couple, a short, round and almost bald man and his

taller and more formidable wife.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Thompson. Is your mother here?"

"Yes, she's in the kitchen," Gretchen replied just before Cameron

appeared.

"Hello, Dr. Cameron, these are Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi. They're

interested in your house. Mind if I show them around?"

"Not at all. Please come in," Cameron said. "Gretchen and I will just

sit out in the yard, out of your way." But she could already see the

sneer on Mrs. Garibaldi's face as she looked around. She would be

hard to satisfy. As they went out the back door, they could hear her

say, "What, only two bathrooms?"

A half hour later, Mr. Thompson stuck his head out the back door to

say, "We're leaving now, Dr. Cameron. I'll be in touch."

Cameron could tell it hadn't gone too well. As they reentered the

house she said, "I guess the answer to your earlier question is that

they aren't going to buy it."

"That's good," Gretchen said with a grin. "I want NICE people to buy

our house."

Almost immediately, the phone rang. Cameron didn't recognize the

caller ID so she let the answering machine pick up, but she grabbed

the phone when she heard a woman say, "Dr. House, you don't know me,

but my son Jared is in Gretchen's class."

"Hello," Cameron said. "This is Allison Cameron, Gretchen's mother."

"Oh. Well, I'm Mrs. Pauley. Your daughter told Jared that I could

call and tell your husband about my husband's illness."

Cameron smiled at both the fact that Gretchen had 'volunteered' House

as a consultant on the case, and the assumption Mrs. Pauley had made

about their relationship. "Why don't you tell me, and I'll pass the

information along to House." She glanced at her daughter who was

listening to every word.

"Oh. OK, I guess," Mrs. Pauley said hesitantly.

"Mrs. Pauley, I'm a doctor too. Dr. House is in New Jersey but we'll

be talking to him later tonight."

"Well, I guess that's alright then," she said. Cameron could tell the

woman was trying to decide what to tell her. "Harvey started getting

sick about three months ago. I had to practically drag him to the

doctor. You know how that goes. Anyway, our doctor thought it was

just the flu, but he didn't get any better. In fact he got worse,

and eventually they put him in the hospital for tests." She paused

for breath, and probably to wipe away a tear.

"That must have been hard on the entire family," Cameron said with her

usual compassion.

"Yes, it was. Especially when they couldn't find out what was wrong.

They ruled out an infection, and they also ruled out cancer, much to

our relief, but they seem to have run out of ideas."

"Gretchen said that you've moved in with Jared's grandparents."

"Finances were getting very strained with Harvey in the hospital.

We've rented out our house and moved here," Mrs. Pauley said. "My

parents love having us, but it's not home. I just want my

husband to get well and all of us to go home again."

"I understand," Cameron told her. "I'll talk to House tonight.

Gretchen and I should be able to convince him to consult on the case,

but if...if he's too busy, I've had a lot of diagnostic experience

myself, and I would be willing to help."

"Thank you very much," Mrs. Pauley said.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Pauley. I'll be in touch."

"Goodnight."

Cameron disconnected, and then looked at her daughter. "Sweetie, you

know you should have asked first before volunteering your father."

"But Mom, Jared is always so sad and so worried about his Dad."

Gretchen wasn't sure whether she was in trouble, but she

knew that her mother was right. "Can we ask Dad to take the case?"

Cameron shook her head but smiled at the girl. "I guess I just

promised to do that, so, yeah, we'll ask him. But don't be very

disappointed if he says no."

Gretchen pressed her lips together and nodded to indicate she

understood. "Can we call him now?"

"Sure."

House answered on the first ring. "And what are my two girls up to

now?"

They gave each other guilty looks, but Cameron decided to start the

conversation on a positive note.

"Taylor called from PPTH today. He wants to talk to me before we move, and said

he could see me on Saturday at the hospital. So it looks like we're

spending next weekend in Princeton," she said.

"Good," he said. "Wilson told me about a house in his neighborhood

that's for sale. Maybe we can go see it."

"Yeah!" Gretchen said. "That'd be outrageous."

"A house? I thought we were talking apartment or condo," a perplexed

Cameron said.

"Squirt needs a backyard," House said. "Besides, there aren't any

apartments in that school district."

Cameron smiled. "OK, we can always look at it. I don't think the

buyers who came to see our house today are going to buy it, but they

were only the first ones."

"So what else is new with you two?" he asked.

Gretchen knew she should be the one to bring up Jared's father, but

before she could, Cameron said, "Jared's mother called today."

"My cousin Laura?" House asked.

"No, not that Jared, the boy in Gretchen's class, the one who's

father is so sick."

"Oh, yeah. What'd she want?"

"She wanted a consult on the case," Cameron said, a little unsure of

how he'd respond to that.

"Dad, could you do it?" Gretchen asked, careful to keep the whine

out of her voice.

He sighed dramatically. "On a scale of one to ten, how interesting

is the case?" he asked. He knew he'd say yes in the end but he wanted

them to work for it.

"I don't know the details, but he's been sick a while, and in the

hospital now, and the doctors in Connecticut don't have a clue what

they're dealing with," Cameron told him.

"Please, Dad. Jared's a really nice boy and I hate to see him so

sad."

He knew he shouldn't give in so easily, but he couldn't help himself.

"OK," he said.

**Chapter 60. WE ARE FAMILY**

Tommy Wilson entered the outer room of his mother's office after

school on Thursday. There was still no secretary or assistant, so he

sat down at the desk. A middle-aged man sat in one of the visitor's

chairs against the wall, probably waiting to see Tommy's mother.

The man looked a little like his Uncle Benjamin, Tommy thought.

"Hi," he said.

The man looked at him and responded, "Hi", but then his eyes returned

to the door to Cuddy's inner office.

Soon the door opened and a gray-haired man came out.

"Can you stay on at least until Symington retires?" Tommy's mother

asked as she came to the doorway.

"I'll stay four more weeks," the man said, then walked out the outer

door. Cuddy, Tommy and the other man watched him go.

Cuddy's scowl suddenly turned into a smile when she saw Tommy.

"Hi Mom," he said.

"Honey, I'll be with you in a few minutes, OK?" she told him.

"Sure. Can I message Gretchen and Emily?" he asked.

"Sure." Cuddy smiled again as he turned on the computer, then turned

to her visitor. "You can come in now, Marty," she told him.

He followed her into her office and she closed the door.

"Jim tells me you're looking for a job," she began.

"Yes." He wasn't sure what to tell this woman, or how much his

brother had already told her. "Whatever you've got."

"We can always use orderlies," she said. "A lot of the work is dirty

and the hours are erratic, but the pays OK." She watched to see his

response.

"That'd be OK," he said.

Cuddy thought a minute. "Of course, I guess I now need a new

inventory manager for the laboratories. The man who just left is

retiring, now that his boss, the head of the labs, announced his

retirement. Guess he's worked for Symington for so long that he can't

imagine reporting to someone else."

"Inventory manager?" Marty looked at her. This was much better than

he expected. What HAD Jimmy said? "That's a lot more responsibility."

"Yes it is. I understand you have a college degree in Biology."

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I was going to go to medical

school like Jimmy, but, well, I couldn't cut it."

"Why don't we do this. Schultz will be leaving in four weeks. We'll

have you work as his assistant while he's still here, learn the ropes

from him. It'll give us time to see how you do, OK?" And Schultz

could keep an eye on him, she thought.

"I...I don't know how to thank you for giving me this chance."

"You can thank me by doing the best job you can," Cuddy told him.

"Can you start on Monday?"

"Sure!" Marty was beginning to get excited at the prospect. He knew

he could do this, given the chance. And he was determined to prove

to his brother and this woman that they weren't making a mistake.

Cuddy walked him to the door. Her phone rang and she picked it up

when she saw that it was a very generous donor.

Marty had a smile on his face when he came out into the outer office.

"You look happier," Tommy commented.

"Your mother just offered me a job."

"That's good. What're you gonna be doing?" the boy wanted to know.

"Working in the labs," Marty said.

"She didn't hire you to manage the labs, did she? Because she was

gonna hire my friend Emily's mom to do that."

"No, just as inventory manager," Marty said.

"I guess that's a good job too." Tommy suddenly remembered his

manners. "Oh, I'm Tommy Wilson."

"Wilson?" Marty asked in astonishment. "You're James Wilson's son?"

"Yeah." Tommy smiled broadly. This man knew his dad. He wondered how.

"I guess that makes me your uncle," Marty said. "I'm Marty Wilson,

pleased to meet you Tommy." He smiled at the boy, and suddenly

noticed he had Jimmy's coloring and smile. And then it dawned on him that the woman he'd just talked to wasn't just the head of the hospital. She was Jimmy's wife!


	31. Chapters 61 and 62

_Shorter than most chapters, but still hope you enjoy. The week apart continues, but other things are happening for House, Cameron and Gretchen._

**Chapter 61. I'M REVIEWING THE SITUATION**

"Cuddy, finally hired a secretary?" House asked as he entered her

outer office.

Sitting at the secretary's desk, Tommy giggled. "No, Uncle Greg.

It's me, Tommy. Oh, do you know my Uncle Marty?"

"Yeah, we met yesterday." After his discussion with Wilson, House

was surprised to see Tommy and Marty together. And Gregory House was

rarely surprised. "Hi, Marty."

"House," Marty said. "I had an interview with Dr. Cuddy about a job."

"Gretchen says she's coming to Princeton next weekend," Tommy said

excitedly.

"Yes, she is," House confirmed. Then, squinting at the boy, he asked,

"You messaging my daughter again?"

"Yeah, and Em, too." Tommy grinned.

House rolled his eyes. "Another Wilson!" Then he noticed that Cuddy

had joined them. "He's already got two girls."

Cuddy smiled and her eyes twinkled. "He thinks they're both VERY pretty."

"Well, at least he has good taste."

Cuddy glanced from House to Tommy to Marty, wondering what had been

discussed.

"I'd better go," Marty announced. "Bye Tommy, House," he said as he

left.

"Bye Uncle Marty," Tommy said.

Cuddy looked accusingly at House. "Did you tell him?"

"Moi? You know I don't do introductions," House said, overdoing the

innocent look.

"What's wrong Mom?" Tommy asked.

"Nothing," she said, but she was grimacing. How was she going to tell

Jimmy? Well, first things first. "So, whaddya want House?"

"Father of a classmate of Gretchen's. I'm consulting on his case."

"You?" Cuddy was incredulous. "You hate to take consults."

"Yeah, yeah. But there are anomalies on top of anomalies here.

Erratic swings of blood pressure and platelet counts, fever one

minute, normal the next, none of the symptoms correlating with any

others. He's had spontaneous bleeds, headaches, stomach aches, you

name it. They've sent all the test results electronically, but I

gotta see this guy. They're setting up a webcam, but if that doesn't

work, I may want to bring him here."

"That shouldn't be a problem," she said.

"They'll have to med-flight him, and there's probably lots of

paperwork to have him transferred here."

Cuddy listened in amazement. House was determined to solve this case. "OK."

"OK? Just like that?" he asked.

"Yes, House. Take the OK before I change my mind," she said, a smile

playing across her face.

"Thanks," he said. "Bye, Slugger. Or should I start calling you

Loverboy?"

"House, he's only nine!" Cuddy said, as House limped out the door.

House returned to his office just before Cameron and Gretchen called

on the picture phone.

"I see you were able to tear yourself away from messaging Tommy,"

House told Gretchen.

"Dad! We're friends. And Emily was part of the conversation, too."

"Exactly my point," House said. He saw Gretchen look questioningly at

her mother.

"He's just referring to the fact that before he married Cuddy, your

Uncle Jimmy was married three times." She shrugged, not about to go

further.

"What your mother isn't saying is that Wilson likes women," House

added.

"So?" Gretchen asked.

"You have told her the facts of life, haven't you?" he asked Cameron.

She ignored him and asked instead, "Have you had a chance to check on

Jared's father?"

"Yeah, I just came from Cuddy's office. Had to get an OK to request

that he be transferred here. It's really a puzzling case."

"Right up your alley." Cameron smiled. "You wouldn't have done it if you

weren't interested."

He smiled back at her. "How're things on the house sale front?"

"The realtor is bringing another prospective buyer by tonight."

"I hope they're nicer than the last ones," Gretchen said.

They continued to talk about this and that, each of them hoping to

prolong the conversation, spend a little more time talking. It was

a poor substitute for being together, but they all knew it would only

be like this for a little while longer.

House even told them about the return of Wilson's brother and that

Cuddy had given him a job at the hospital.

"Wilson was wary about letting him near Tommy, but as fate would have

it, they met in Cuddy's outer office."

"What's he like?" Cameron asked.

"He talks a good game about giving up alcohol and drugs, cleaning up,

but we'll just have to see," House replied.

**Chapter 62. COME ON-A MY HOUSE**

At seven Mr. Thompson once again rang the bell, but this time,

Cameron beat Gretchen to the door. She opened it to find

the realtor accompanied by a family of four.

"Hi, Doctor Cameron. These are the Kesslers, Eileen and Ernie, and

their children Kyle and Kerstin."

The children, younger than Gretchen and about a year apart, were

squabbling and Mrs. Kessler was telling them to 'hush up', while

Mr. Kessler laughed heartily and said, "Kids will be kids."

Cameron let them in and again told the realtor, "We'll be out back."

She sat down on the porch swing, her favorite spot on the patio, but

Gretchen watched the potential buyers through the sliding glass door.

She saw the girl sit down at her piano and start banging on the keys.

"Mom!" Gretchen exclaimed.

"Sweetie, I'm not their mother so I can't discipline them when their

mother and father are right there."

"But they're touching our things!"

Just then the boy and girl slid open the door. Gretchen stepped back

as they raced past her to her gymset. She closed the door behind them

and watched for a minute as they argued about who could use the swing

first. By then she'd had enough. She marched over to them and said

"There are House rules for this gymset."

"Huh?" they both said, stopping for a moment in confusion.

"By divine order of Gretchen, that's me, you must take turns." She

was making it up as she went along but she thought they'd never know

that. "Now, Katrina, you get the swing first."

"That's Kerstin."

"Whatever. And Kevin, you get the slide first." Then in a stage

whisper she added, "Don't tell your sister, but the slide's waaay

better than the swing."

"It is?" he asked with wide eyes, not even correcting her about his

name.

"Sure," she said. "You can switch in fifteen minutes." She didn't see

her mother stifle her laughter.

But fifteen minutes later, Eileen Kessler stuck her head out the door

to call them. "C'mon kids, we're going."

"Aw, Mom!" the two little kids said. "We're sharing and Gretchen just

said it was time to switch," Kerstin added.

Mrs. Kessler look incredulously at the tall girl who'd gotten her

kids to share.

"Please, Mrs. Kessler, I promised they could each have a turn,"

Gretchen said politely.

"Well, I guess..."

"Thanks, Mom," Kyle said.

Both of the kids' parents watched as they switched positions, Kyle

now taking the swing and his sister the slide. Eileen and Ernie

shook their heads in wonder.

Cuddy had convinced the hospital in Hartford to medflight Harvey

Pauley to PPTH. It had been easier than she'd expected. The doctors

in Connecticut were just about ready to give up on the case and

were grateful it would be out of their hands.

House met with Sullivan, Yen and Sheffield in his conference room.

The symptoms he'd listed on the whiteboard were all over the map.

"Which are the most persistent symptoms?" Sully asked. "And which

are the most life-threatening?"

House actually smiled at her. She was rapidly becoming one of the

best doctors he'd trained, maybe not as good as Cameron, Foreman

and Chase, but in time she'd probably equal them. She was already

asking the right questions. And then there was Sheffield.

"Whaddya think, Sheffield?" House put him on the spot.

"Persistent? I guess the platelet count?"

"You're more pathetic than Yen. At least she's beginning to commit

to her diagnoses," House blasted him. "The platelet count has NOT

been persistent. Didn't you read the file?" He turned to Yen who now

felt obligated to be decisive.

"The white blood cell count has been persistently high, indicating

some kind of infection."

House nodded slightly. "And the most life threatening?"

"I guess, I mean definitely the swings in blood pressure. The vessels

and the heart can't take such frequent and large swings," Yen said.

"Redo the blood tests," he told her. "Sullivan, check all the meds

he's been given, see if any could be causing the swings in blood

pressure and platelet count." He pointed his cane at Sheffield "You,

go reread the file. There'll be a quiz after I finish watching

General Hospital." House turned abruptly and went into his office.


	32. Chapters 63 and 64

_Quite a bit longer than the last two chapters. I had a bit of a problem posting these last night, but I think they're now good to go. You know the drill: read and review._

**UL 63. MAY AS WELL FACE IT, YOU'RE ADDICTED TO LOVE**

They'd adjusted Harvey Pauley's medications and gotten his blood

pressure stabilized. At five o'clock Friday afternoon, House called it a day

and left the hospital. Cameron and Gretchen weren't due for a few

hours, but he had some calls to make.

At eight, he opened the door on his two girls, not bothering to

suppress the big grin on his face, especially when their grins

matched his. He didn't know which to hug first, so he dropped his

cane and hugged them both. A few minutes later they broke the group

hug, each of them feeling a whole lot better.

Cameron and Gretchen brought in their suitcases and soon they were

in their usual places on the couch with Gretchen in the middle, each

with the beverage of their choice.

"You made good time." House drank a gulp of beer.

"We left as soon as Gretchen arrived at the hospital after school,"

Cameron said. "How's Jared Pauley's father?"

"More stable than he was, but we're still missing something." House

got that faraway look he sometimes did when he was working out a

medical puzzle. Then he changed the subject. "Heard anything from

the people who saw the house yesterday?"

"I think they're trying to arrange financing," Cameron reported.

"The kids were really bratty," Gretchen added.

Cameron chuckled. "Gretchen handled them very well. You would have

been proud of her. I know I was." She kissed the top of her

daughter's head. "Did you eat?" she asked House.

"I grabbed a peanut butter sandwich when I got home."

"Mom wouldn't stop for food. I guess we were too anxious to get here.

But now I'm hungry."

Cameron rose. "I'll go order something. Chinese OK?" She went to the

kitchen phone.

"Tommy was excited to hear you were coming for the weekend," House

teased his daughter.

Gretchen smirked at him, but said, "He told me about his Uncle Marty.

Dad, how come he never met him before?"

"Because Marty cut himself off from his family," House said. He

wondered how much to tell her. She still looked puzzled. "He drank

too much, took drugs. He couldn't hold a job, wound up out on the

streets."

"Homeless?" Gretchen said in a concerned voice.

"Yeah. But in the last year or so he seems to have given all that up."

Gretchen thought about this for a few minutes. "Dad, you take pills

and you drink, too."

He looked at her, amazed as always at how her mind worked. "You're

right. I take pills to numb the pain in my leg. For many years I

took pills that also numbed my emotions, because they were painful,

too. And when the pills weren't enough, I drank. I...I was addicted.

But the pills and the drinking didn't make me happy, they just made

me not so unhappy."

"But you're not addicted anymore?"

"Since I met you, I've been happy. I don't need the pills or the

alcohol. Guess I'm addicted to Gretchen Rose House," he said with a

smile.

"Does Mom make you happy too?"

He grinned at her. "Very happy." And he realized that was true. He

hadn't heard Cameron return from the kitchen, but she'd heard the

last parts of what he said. She quietly sat down on his other side,

put her arms around him, and leaned her cheek against his chest, not

saying a word. He sat there with one arm around each of them and let

himself grin like a fool. "You know what Einstein said? 'Gravitation

is not responsible for people falling in love'."

The next morning, House and Gretchen dropped Cameron off at PPTH for

her ten AM meeting with Taylor. They had 'something to do'.

Cameron had an idea what it was, but she couldn't think about that

now. She took the elevator to the second floor and walked down the

hallway to Taylor's office. Since it was a Saturday, it was quieter

than during the week, but there were still patients and staff around.

She knocked on the door of Taylor's office and he let her in himself.

"Dr. Cameron, good of you to come see me." He motioned for her

to take the chair opposite him.

"I hope it won't be awkward adding me to your staff." Cameron had to clear the air about this up front. "I know you didn't have an opening and Dr. Cuddy, well, she basically forced you to add me."

"Believe me, it's not a problem. We can always use another doctor,"

Taylor told her. "Besides, she made sure your salary wouldn't affect

my budget. And more importantly, I've been following your work on

this Brazilian flu. Excellent work."

"Thank you." Cameron blushed slightly at the compliment.

"It's actually one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you," Taylor

went on. "We've had two cases recently and followed your protocol.

The patients have gotten better, but are still running fevers even

after a few days."

"May I see the case files?" she asked.

He turned his monitor so she could see it and brought up the files.

Cameron quickly scanned what Taylor's staff had done. A doctor named

Russell Davidson was in charge of both cases. "Dr. Davidson is on

your staff?" she asked.

"One of my best people."

"I can see that," she said as she continued reading. "He's very

thorough. But he doesn't take chances does he? Doesn't improvise?"

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked.

"These two patients have been given Acofloxacin twice a day, it

lowered their temperatures but not to normal range. He could have

tried higher doses or given it to them three times a day, but seems

to have been reluctant to do that." She didn't want to criticize 'one

of his best people', but she knew what she would have done.

"But your protocol said twice a day was enough," Taylor argued.

"So in these cases, 'my' protocol didn't work. It's not etched in

stone." She felt she was beginning to sound like someone she knew

well. This really called for more diplomacy, especially if she was

going to be working for this man, so she softened her voice. "None

of us have seen enough cases to know if the same treatment will work

for every case. Just try the three-times-a-day route and let me know

how that works." She smiled at him.

Taylor raised his eyebrows. Something told him this slight woman

could run rings around the rest of his staff. "We'll give that a

try."

"Dr. Taylor, I noticed that both of your patients are children. Have

you had any adult patients with this flu?"

"Why, no, I don't think we have."

She nodded. "For some reason, adults appear to be immune. I've

reported this to the CDC and they're looking into it. It may be the

break they need to be able to come up with a way to prevent the

further spread of the disease."

His admiration for his new staff member went up a few more notches.

"Dr. Cameron. Thank you again for coming in today. I'd show you

around the hospital, but I understand you worked here before?"

"Yes, I did a fellowship starting about twelve years ago."

"With Dr. House, I understand."

"Yes." She smiled enigmatically. "Well, let me know how these two

patients do." She stood and held out her small hand.

Taylor shook it and watched her leave, deep in thought.

**UL 64. WHO LET THE DOGS OUT**

After dropping Cameron off at the hospital, House and Gretchen drove

out into the country.

"Where're we going, Dad?" Gretchen asked.

"You'll see," House responded with a twinkle in his eyes. "Look for a

sign on the right that says 'Half-Mile Road'."

"OK." She looked out the car window as they passed mile after mile of

cranberry bogs. Suddenly she shouted, "There it is!" Of course, by

then they'd traveled beyond the road but, with no traffic behind

them, House was able to back up and turn down the narrow lane.

In a short time he came to the gravel road he was looking for with

the small sign 'Half-Mile Farm' and soon they stopped in a

clearing in front of a small house. They could see a larger barn to

the left and fenced pastures to the right and behind the house and

barn. As they got out, they could hear the barking of dogs, the

whinnying of horses and even the bray of a donkey.

A young woman came out of the house, springy reddish-brown curls

surrounding her freckled face. She was carrying a Basset hound

puppy in her right arm and a Schnauzer puppy in her left. "Dr.

House? I've been expecting you."

"Right," he acknowledged. "And this is Gretchen."

"Yes, you're just as pretty as Daisy said," the woman told the

girl. "Well, come in."

As they entered the house, three more puppies surrounded the woman.

Two were Bassets and the third one was another Schnauzer. "These are

the last five I have," she told them as she put the two puppies down

to join the others. Gretchen bent to pet each one. Two of the

Bassets looked at her with mournful eyes, but the third yipped and

danced around her. She laughed at him.

"Whaddya think?" House asked her.

"Oh, I wish I could take all the Bassets," she said. "And the other

two."

"One."

"OK," she said with a little petulent frown. Then she brightened.

"Maybe Tommy and Em can get the other two."

House rolled his eyes. "Just pick one. Wilson and Cuddy can deal with

Tommy when he sees it, and the same goes for Clair."

"Well..." The hyper one hadn't stopped dancing, but one of the others

reminded Gretchen more of George. Something about the way his ears

flopped and the way his eyes followed her. "This one," she said. "This

is George Junior."

House smiled at her choice.

On their way back they stopped for a crate and a carrier and other

supplies, but Junior sat on Gretchen's lap, looking up at her as

she smiled down on him.

When they arrived at the hospital, House told Gretchen that she

couldn't bring Junior in.

"Then I'll just wait here with him," she decided.

House looked at her, thinking, then saw Chase drive up. House got

out of the car and called, "Chase, ever dog-sit?"

"Huh?" Chase wasn't sure what he meant. "I was just heading in to

meet Les."

"I'll tell her you're here, doing your good deed for the day." House

opened Gretchen's door and turned to her. "C'mon, Kiddo. Chase will

watch Junior while we go get your Mom."

"Mrs. Pauley?" Sullivan asked as Denise Pauley, Jared and his two

older brothers hesitantly entered the room, looking at Harvey.

"Yes, and you are?" Mrs. Pauley asked.

"I'm Dr. Sullivan and this is Dr. Yen." Sully indicated her

colleague. "We're two of the members of Dr. House's staff."

"Oh." The patient's wife was not sure what she expected.

"We've gotten your husband more stable and begun some new tests," Yen

told her. "I can assure you, we will do everything we can to find out

what's wrong with him. Dr. House never gives up until he has the

diagnosis."

Denise walked to her husband's side. "Honey, how are you doing?"

"Oh, Deni, you didn't have to come down here and bring the kids."

"Of course we did!"

The three boys hung back, not sure what to say or do. The door slid

open and Cameron walked in. "Mrs. Pauley? I'm Allison Cameron. I

spoke to you on the phone."

"Dr. Cameron, I thought you were in Albany," Denise said. "I don't

think you've met Jared, and these are Jonathan and Jeremy." They were

all slim but had their Dad's coloring.

"Hi Jared, I'm Gretchen's mother," Cameron said, smiling at the

youngest Pauley child. "Hello, boys," she said to his brothers.

"Jared!" she suddenly heard her daughter say, as she came bursting

into the room, followed by House.

"Looks like we're having a party," he said.

"Mrs. Pauley, this is Dr. House," Cameron said, ignoring his remark.

"I think we need to get bigger patient rooms," House said.

"Dr. House, we redid the immunoassays," Yen said.

"Good." He wasn't finished with his comments yet.

"Sullivan, your boyfriend's playing boy scout in the parking lot."

Cameron rolled her eyes, then decided she'd had enough of his

remarks. "You mean Chase is rubbing sticks together and starting

fires."

"Ha, ha," House said. "That was supposed to be funny, right?" But

he knew Cameron was right, time to be more serious. "We'll send him

in when we leave," he told Sully. Then he finally addressed Denise.

"We've made some adjustments to your husband's medications and gotten

his blood pressure stabilized so that we don't have to worry about

that while we try to find out what's really wrong with him." He

turned back to his ducklings. "Where's Sheffield?"

"He said he had some research he wanted to do," Yen reported.

House looked skeptical, but let it go for the time being. "Review the patient's

history with Mrs. Pauley, as long as she's here. Make sure there

isn't anything that's missing."

"Sure," Yen said. "I'll be here until six."

"Good. Call me if there are any changes." He turned to Gretchen. "Can

we tear you away from your little boyfriend?" he asked.

"Sure, Dad," she said, smirking at him. "Bye Jared. If I don't see you

later, I'll see you in school on Monday."

"Bye, Gretchen. It's your last week, isn't it?" Jared asked.

"Yes, we're moving here for good next weekend."

"Cameron?" House prompted.

"Right. Goodbye, Mrs. Pauley. Maybe we'll be able to stop by for a

while again later on. Bye, kids." She followed House and Gretchen

out.


	33. Chapters 65 and 66

_For some reason this never posted the other day. And here I was wondering why no one had reviewed it! Well, I'll post it now and, as an added bonus, another two chapters tonight._

_I posted a chapter of another story last night and, although the formatting in my chapter was right, it all came up as italics. Hope that doesn't happen to this. _

**Chapter 65. LITTLE PINK HOUSES**

"How'd it go with Taylor?" House asked Cameron as they walked to the

car, Gretchen rushing on ahead.

"OK. He has two Brazilian flu cases." She chuckled, then shook her

head. "I had to tell him as politely as possible that he COULD

deviate from what he's calling the 'Cameron protocol' when it only

worked to a limited extent."

"He's either afraid you'll outshine him and his golden boy Davidson

or he'll try to ride your coattails," House said. "Probably a little

of both."

"Thanks for the warning." She smiled at him, but especially the

compliment that was buried in his words.

"So, ready to meet the newest member of the family?" he asked as

they got nearer.

"House, you didn't!" She stopped in her tracks.

For a minute he thought she was really upset, then she grinned

broadly. "You're the greatest!" She threw her arms around

him and pecked his stubbly cheek.

He looked around to see who might be watching. "Hey, no

PDAs!"

But Cameron took that as a challenge. "Oh, yeah?" This time she

kissed him soundly. Then she put her arm through his and they continued

on to the car.

They found Gretchen and Chase playing with the puppy, both of them

laughing as they watched Junior. They sent Chase in to Sullivan as

they'd promised her, and Gretchen gathered the dog in her arms and

got into the car.

"He's adorable," Cameron said. She was already charmed by his big

brown eyes and floppy ears.

"Fickle!" House said.

They left the hospital and drove to the Willow Grove neighborhood

where Wilson, Cuddy and Tommy lived. The house Wilson had told House

about was a few streets away from theirs, and those few streets made

a big difference in the size of the houses and the properties, but

Cherry Tree Lane was a lovely tree-lined street, even though the

houses were small.

They parked in front of number 17. It was a ranch house with a

well-kept lawn and a mature cherry tree (of course) in the center

of it. The real estate agent waited for them in her car in the

driveway.

"The family moved out last week." She got out to greet

them, took a key from a lock box, opened the door and let them

into a small entryway. To the right was a living room with a stone

mantled fireplace and straight ahead were the kitchen and family

room. Just past the living room was a hallway that led to the bedrooms.

Carrying Junior firmly, Gretchen headed off to investigate the

bedrooms, but soon came running back. "Mom, Dad, I picked my room."

They both rolled their eyes but followed her to see. The room was

a comfortable size with yellow floral striped wallpaper, and a window

looking out towards the backyard.

"It's got a window seat! I've always wanted a window seat," the child

said.

Sure enough, under the window was a platform with a cushion in a

fabric matching the wallpaper.

"And look, it opens up." Gretchen lifted the seat to reveal

the storage space it provided.

They moved on to see the master bedroom, which was quite a bit larger

with it's own private bathroom and walk-in closet. Even House was

impressed with the layout. The third bedroom was almost the same

size as the one Gretchen claimed, and between the two was a good-

sized bathroom.

It looked like the house had been well cared for, but then they

walked into the kitchen and House said, "Whoa!" As attractive as the

rest of the house was, the kitchen was obviously the brainchild of

someone who liked the color pink a little too much.

There was a flower-print wallpaper with a light pink background and

large magenta flowers. The floors were pink tile, the counters were

the same shade of pink, and the sink a slightly darker shade. All of

the appliance doors, refrigerator, dishwasher, and oven, were pink.

They just had to laugh.

"Well, it's just cosmetic," Cameron said when she could catch her

breath. "We can change the wallpaper, get new appliance door panels,

flooring, and counters."

"You forgot the sink," House pointed out.

"That too. What were they thinking? I mean, I like pink

but this is more pink than I ever want to see in my lifetime."

"But the rest of the house is so nice," Gretchen said.

"Well, let's take a look at the yard," Cameron suggested.

They walked out the back door onto a brick patio with built-in

benches. Several large trees shaded part of the yard, while the rest

was nice and sunny. A gymset, similar to Gretchen's, was off in one

corner. There was plenty of room for Junior to run around and for

Gretchen to play.

"If it wasn't for that kitchen..." House began.

"I guess we're just going to have to think about it," Cameron said.

They found the realtor waiting for them out front, and told her

they'd get back to her. But mostly they had to decide whether they

could live with so much pink.

**Chapter 66. I'M SPOILED BY YOUR LOVE**

Since they'd be in the neighborhood, Cuddy had invited House,

Cameron and Gretchen to dinner Saturday night. Besides, she knew

Tommy was anxious to see his friend.

"Mom, Dad, they're here!" he shouted excitedly, running as best he

could into the kitchen where Cuddy and Wilson were preparing dinner

together. One of the things they found they had in common was a

passion for cooking.

"Well, go let them in," Wilson told the boy, wiping his hands on a

'Kiss-the-cook' apron.

They heard Tommy open the door, House say, "Hi, Slugger", and Cameron

say, "Hello, Tommy", just as expected, but then Gretchen's excited

voice said, "Tommy! Look what I've got. Isn't he adorable? His name's

Junior, well really George Jr., but we're calling him Junior." And

not a word from Tommy.

Cuddy and Wilson looked at each other in dismay. House had done it!

And now the ball was in their court.

Cameron came into the kitchen carrying a bakery box. "Hi Wilson, Dr.

Cuddy."

"I told you, it's Lisa, at least away from the hospital," Cuddy

insisted. "So House gave in and got her the dog."

"And you're smiling about it?" Wilson added.

"Come meet Junior and you'll be smiling too," Cameron promised.

House, the children and Junior were still in the entryway. Gretchen

had put the puppy down, but he hadn't left her side, his mournful

eyes watching Tommy, who was tentatively petting him and grinning.

"You could have warned us," Wilson told his friend.

"He really is cute," Cuddy said, smiling despite herself, and Wilson

rolled his eyes.

"You don't get a say in our family decisions," House told Wilson.

"Did you even think how that decision would affect anyone else?"

Wilson asked.

"Hey, I'm not putting my life on hold to worry about yours," House

responded. "What if Cameron and I decided to have another child.

So, Tommy might decided he wants a brother or sister too. How would

you handle that?"

Wilson didn't answer.

"Here's the address of the place we got Junior. She has two more

Bassetts and two Schnauzers." House handed Wilson a card, and

then walked into the dining room. "What's for dinner?"

Wilson just stared at his back.

"Why don't we all go sit down and eat," Cuddy suggested. "Everything's

ready."

While they ate, the subject of puppies was completely avoided, but

they were all aware of Junior sitting on the floor next to Gretchen's

chair.

"What did you think of the house?" Cuddy asked.

"Except for the pink kitchen, it would be perfect," Cameron said.

"You can easily change wallpaper and paint," Wilson said.

"When she said pink, she meant PINK," House said. "Every flat surface

and some that weren't so flat!"

"They even had a pink sink," Gretchen said, giggling.

"A pink sink!" Tommy giggled too.

After dinner, the children took Junior out to the backyard while it

was still light out. Cameron helped Cuddy clean up in the kitchen.

"So, you and House are seriously considering having another child?"

Cuddy asked.

"All we've decided is that if we do, it had better be soon," Cameron

replied.

"You really do love him, don't you?"

"I guess I never really stopped, but I love him more now, and in so

many more ways," the younger woman said.

"I would have thought that during the years you would have met a

younger man who would have made you forget our sarcastic, grumpy

friend."

"You're kidding, right? There's no one else who could ever match his

brilliance." Cameron shook her head. "He's spoiled me for anyone

else. Lisa, could you imagine yourself with anyone but Jimmy?"

Cuddy smiled. "Guess not."

They watched the children playing with the puppy for a while, but

soon Gretchen and Tommy rushed past them with the puppy following.

"We're going to call Em," Tommy said as he went by.

"It's amazing how the three of them have formed such a close

friendship," Cameron said. "I'd imagine that if ever the three of them

set their mind to something, nothing and no one will stop them."

"What've you told Tommy about Marty, now that he's met his uncle?"

House asked Wilson. They were still sitting at the table, finishing

their coffee.

"I tried to be honest with him, told him that my brother had a

problem with drinking and drugs, but he was fighting it and we were

giving him a chance," Wilson replied.

"Tommy's a bright kid. I'm sure he understands."

Wilson studied his friend. "Are you and Cameron really planning on

having another child?"

House didn't answer.

"I knew it!" Wilson exclaimed. At House's raised eyebrows he went on.

"I told you long ago that you liked her and you denied it, but I was

right all along, wasn't I?"

"She was always beautiful, and I knew she'd be a brilliant doctor

someday. But she's become so much more than I ever expected." House

looked at his friend. "And I'm still amazed by how much she loves

me."

They saw the two children and the dog head towards the family room.

"Probably gonna message Emily about the puppy," House guessed.

"So Clair's next to have to deal with the dog issue," Wilson said.

"See what you started? Those kids have all become really good

friends."

"I don't think the world's ready for those three," House stated,

grinning at the thought.


	34. Chapters 67 and 68

_The first of these chapters was inspired by our first hot air balloon experience. Since then we've 'flown' a few times and crewed for several balloons, especially during the International Balloon Fiesta here in town. You haven't lived until you've been up in one of those things, or been out on the field as up to five hundred balloons prepare to go up._

_Pyewacket: when you brought up this song last week, it reminded me that this chapter was coming soon. _

**UL 67. WOULD YOU LIKE TO FLY IN MY BEAUTIFUL BALLOON**

Cameron woke on Sunday morning when he planted a bristly kiss on her cheek. Her eyes opened slowly to adjust to the dark.

"Up and at 'em, little girl," House whispered.

Suddenly her entire being was alert. "Greg, what's wrong? What time is it?"

He could barely see her. He looked at the clock and said, "Four thirty."

"Four thirty?" Shock filled her voice. "You never get up before nine

if you can help it, certainly never this early. Even I don't get up

this early!"

"We've got places to go, things to do," he insisted. "Rise and shine!"

She groaned, but she had to know he wouldn't be detered from whatever he had planned. "OK, OK, hold your horses." She pulled herself up.

He cupped her chin and kissed her, then said, "You can have the

bathroom first, well technically second, since I just came from

there. I'll go wake the Squirt."

Cameron stood, sleepily grabbed some clothes and padded barefoot to

the bathroom as House limped into the living room.

Gretchen looked so sweet and peaceful, stretched out on the couch,

Junior's crate close enough so she could reach in and pet him.

House leaned over her, smiling at the sight. He suddenly wished he

had a bugle, but his neighbors wouldn't have appreciated him playing

reveille at four forty-five in the morning.

"Hey, kiddo, it's upping time," he said, not loud, but not softly

either.

"Huh?" Gretchen woke with a start. Then smiled at him. "Morning,

Dad."

"Let's get this show on the road!" he said.

"Isn't it too early?" she asked, stifling a yawn. She wondered what

was going on.

"I promise you'll be glad you got up now. Get dressed and take

Junior for a walk. Then we'll be ready to go."

She shook her head, but didn't ask 'where'. Instead, she did as he said.

They made sure Junior had food and water before they left. They

drove out to an area that was under development. New houses and

shopping centers were appearing all the time. They parked in the lot

of one of those centers and could see a group of people congregating

around a van in an adjacent vacant lot. Walking towards the group,

they could see two men pulling something very colorful out of the

back of the van. It was a hot air balloon!

"How are they going to get it up?" Gretchen asked.

"Just watch." House pointed to the men, spreading the envelope out on the ground and then, as one held the bottom open, the other set up a fan and aimed it at the opening. In about fifteen minutes the balloon was filled with air.

Now it was time to start the propane-fueled blower. The flame of the blower was

aimed at the opening to heat the air inside and as it

heated, the balloon went from horizontal to vertical.

"Wow!" Gretchen and Cameron said simultaneously.

The basket that they attached to it was made of heavy wicker. Soon, it too was upright, waiting for the pilot and passengers to climb in.

With her long legs, Gretchen was easily able to put one foot in a

lower foot hold and the other in an upper one, and then swing the

first leg over as she scrambled into the basket. Cameron followed

suit, finding it easier than she'd expected, but she was a little

concerned how House would manage. Steadying himself with his cane,

he put his left foot into an upper hold and quickly shifted his

weight to it, wincing only slightly the short time his weight was

on his right leg. He swung that leg and the cane over, followed

immediately by the left. Cameron was hesitant to offer help, but he

steadied himself by grabbing her shoulder.

Another couple, newlyweds by the looks of them, climbed in after

them.

"Everyone ready?" the pilot asked, and at their nods, he increased

the intensity of the blower and the balloon began to rise off the

ground.

Gretchen was grinning and trying to look in every direction at once.

To the east they could see the sun rising. As they ascended higher

they could look out over the houses and fields. To the west they

could make out the Delaware River.

"It's like we're floating!" Cameron shouted over the roar of the

blower. House took her hand and she squeezed his.

"Technically we are," House shouted back, just as the blower stopped

and they started drifting with the air currents.

"Dad, isn't that the University?" Gretchen asked, pointing to a

cluster of buildings.

"And there's the hospital." Cameron pointed too.

Every once in a while the pilot turned the blower on and they rose

a little more. Each time, the passengers moved back from the heat

of the flame.

"Oh, Dad, this is the most outrageous thing we've ever done!"

Gretchen exclaimed. The broad grin hadn't left her face.

All too soon it was over. The pilot brought the balloon down in

another vacant field where they met the chase van. Once they were

out of the basket, everyone even House, helped deflate the balloon and pack it

in its bag. The pilot and another man brought out a table and

began to take pastries and juice and a bottle of champagne from a

cooler. The van would take them back to their cars, but first, a

toast was in order. The pilot recited the Irish Balloonist's Prayer:

The winds have welcomed you with softness

The sun has blessed you with his warm hands

You have flown so high and so well that

God has joined us together in laughter and

set us gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.

**UL 68. REDEMPTION SONG**

Marty Wilson walked into the lab at PPTH on Monday morning ready to

start a new life. His brother and Dr. Cuddy were giving him a chance

to prove himself and he was very determined to do that. And,

although he was a little worried about working so closely with an

endless supply of chemicals of all kinds, he was also determined to

be strong.

He soon found he had little to fear in the way of temptation. The

prescription drugs kept in the labs were under lock and key and all

the inventories were controlled by computer. The closest he'd get

to actual drugs were their names on the monitor screen.

Schultz was quite willing, even proud to show his inventory system

to his replacement. The hospital grapevine had already spread the

word that the 'new' guy was Dr. James Wilson's brother, and therefore

the brother-in-law of the hospital administrator. He might be

retiring soon, but Schultz wasn't stupid.

"All the supplies and medicines are bar-coded" he explained. "When

they're used, the doctors and technicians scan the code and the

information about what and how much is recorded. When supplies start

to run low, a reminder is automatically transmitted to order more.

For some supplies, the usage is so consistent that we have a standing

order with the suppliers. The only deviation is when we have

something new to add to the inventory."

Marty smiled. He was sure he could do this easily.

"There are cross-checks against the other hospital records to make

sure that what's dispensed is actually used," Schultz said.

"What about things like X-ray films and sampling equipment, that

sort of thing?" Marty asked.

"Those too, same systems as the drugs and test reagents. We do a

really big business in latex gloves." They both laughed.

"And equipment?" Marty wanted to know how extensive the system was.

"We rarely have to replace that," Schultz told him. "The lab manager

fills out forms if we need a replacement or something new and those

forms require two signatures."

"Sounds well thought out, thorough and secure."

"It is that." Schultz beamed. He'd set a lot of it up over the years

and he was proud of his baby. And he sensed that Marty Wilson would

take good care of it for him.

"I see you've decided to grace us with your presence," House told

Sheffield as he entered the conference room. "I hope all that

research was useful."

"Ever hear of systems biology?" the young doctor asked, thinking he

could impress House by knowing about a methodology that was used to

build databases linking DNA and protein sequencing with diseases.

"Ye-es" House said. He'd actually done a study on it a few years

before, but since it was used more to predict diseases in populations

and more for preventive medicine than diagnostic, he hadn't

investigated further. He wondered what Sheffield had in mind.

"You've heard of it?" Sheffield was surprised.

"Dr. Sheffield, there's very little in medicine I haven't heard of

or read about, but how does this relate to our case?"

"Well, if we knew what Mr. Pauley's genetics show that he may be

susceptible to, it may help us determine what's wrong with him."

House's eyebrows went up. There was hope for Ben Sheffield yet. "OK.

Do a proteome analysis. Let's see what, if anything, it shows."

"I'll get right on it."

"Oh, and Sheffield?"

"Yes?" Sheffield asked, expecting House to finally compliment him

about something.

"Close the door when you leave."

Now that she was back in Albany, Cameron paid a visit to Sandy Gelman's office. Her life was about to change and she knew there were legal ramifications.

She needed her lawyers advice.

Sandy's secretary wasn't at her desk. Instead Caro Ny was covering

the phones. She looked up as Cameron walked in and said, "Dr. Cameron,

Mr. Gelman said to tell you to go right in when you arrived."

"Thanks, Caro. How's school going?"

"Don't ask! But I'm glad I work here. Mr. Gelman is very good about

letting me work hours that fit around my class schedule," the law

student said. "There's so much to learn! I guess medical school was

the same, huh?"

"Yes, but it was worth the effort," Cameron told her, as she opened

the door to Sandy's office and walked in.

"Allison! It's good to see you again" the friendly lawyer told her.

"Thank you for making time for me today," Cameron said as she sat

down in the chair across from him.

"So, how can I help you?" he asked.

"Well, things have changed quite a bit since I was here last."

"From your face, I gather that the changes are good?"

"Yes. First of all, I'm moving and starting a new job," she said.

"In New Jersey?" he guessed.

"How did you...?"

"Well, it was obvious when you were talking about allowing Gretchen's

father to have more access to her, and when you wanted her to use his

name, that the next step would be for the three of you to live

closer."

"We're moving in with him."

"That's as close as it gets." He chuckled. "So, you'll be selling

your house. That changes your assets. And I would imagine if you're

living with him, you'll want to change your will."

"Yes," she said. "Honestly, I don't know what I have to do. That's

why I'm here, to get your advice and start whatever paperwork is

needed."

They spent the next half-hour going over the documents Sandy had

prepared for her in the past and agreeing on the changes that were

appropriate.

"I'll have the new documents to you before you leave on Friday,"

Sandy said.

"Thanks, Sandy," Cameron said. "You have been a big help to me over

the years. I certainly appreciate the way you've taken care of me,

of us. I'm gonna miss you." Impusively, she walked around the desk

and gave the man a hug. "Thanks."


	35. Chapters 69 and 70

_Moving day is approaching..._

**UL 69. MY BAGS ARE PACKED, I'M READY TO GO**

At times the week passed slowly for Cameron as she waited impatiently

for Friday to come. But at other times, there was so much to do that

she wasn't sure she'd have enough time.

Every evening, she and Gretchen did some more packing. Their

furniture and some of their belongings would be picked up Friday

morning by a moving van and put in storage in Princeton until they

had a place big enough for everything. Well, not everything. Gretchen

had gathered up some of her baby toys and boxed them for donation to

ACH. But there were some things that she kept for sentimental reasons

and some she hoped she could give to a baby sister or brother

someday.

Wednesday, as they were packing away the summer clothes they wouldn't

need for a while, the phone rang. Gretchen beat her mother to it as

usual.

"Hi Dad!" she said. "We're still packing."

"How much stuff do you have?" he asked, incredulously. They'd been

packing for days.

Cameron had hit the speaker button and heard his question "Too much,

I guess," she said, chuckling as she looked at all the boxes that

were already filled. "Amazing how much you can accumulate in ten

years."

"Have you heard from the realtor?" House asked.

"The buyers are having trouble getting financing" She couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. It was a problem, but one she wasn't ready to worry

about just yet. "What about the Pink House?" she asked. That's what

they'd started calling it.

"I told the owners that if they lower the price by $35,000, we'd take

it. I figure that'll go a long way to fixing the kitchen," he said.

"Haven't heard a counter offer yet."

"Maybe we could just close the door to the kitchen and never go in

there," Gretchen suggested. "We always eat out or order food in

anyway."

"Well, not always," Cameron protested.

"Allie, 'fess up, besides an occasional breakfast, when was the last

time we cooked?" House asked.

"Speak for yourself, but I cook several times a week.

Besides, we need a 'fridge for all of the leftover take-out."

"I never thought of that," Gretchen said.

They were silent for a minute, each lost in their own thoughts, then

Gretchen asked, "How's Junior?" They'd decided to leave the puppy in

Princeton, considering that Cameron and Gretchen would be packing

all week, and the long trip to and from Albany might have been hard

on the dog. House gave them daily reports on Junior, but Gretchen

missed him almost as much as she missed her father.

"He spends a lot of time looking for you, Kiddo," House said. "Guess

he misses you as much as I do."

"We miss you too," Gretchen said.

"Only two more days," Cameron said.

"Two very long days," House added.

On Thursday, after lunch, Clair asked Cameron to come back to her

office with her for a while. When they walked into the ACH lab, it

was unnaturally quiet. No lab techs working on tests, not even any

machines processing samples. Clair opened the door to her office,

then stepped back to let Cameron enter first.

"Surprise!" The small office was crowded with people, all waiting

to say goodbye to a colleague everyone liked, to wish her well in

her new job, and to remind her to keep in touch. Cameron's

secretary Trudy was there. She'd baked a cake with a likeness of

Cameron on top and the words, "We'll Miss You".

There were so many people they moved the party out of Clair's cramped

office into the lab. They'd filled a small vat with punch and were

serving it in beakers.

Cameron flashed back to a similar party ten years before when she

left PPTH. So much had happened in those years. And now she was going

back, going home.

Everyone had chipped in for a gift for her, a new stethoscope to

replace the one she'd used since her residence days. It was very

modern with a sensor that recorded the heartbeat and other sounds

and a chip that amplified those sounds.

She chatted with each of the people there. At one point during the

party, Zach Stone pulled her aside. "I just wanted to know whether

you've sold your house yet."

"We had a family interested, but they're having difficulty financing.

Why do you ask?"

"Catie and I are thinking of getting married sometime this winter.

Can we come by and see the house tonight?" he asked.

"Sure. Of course, but it's a mess of boxes right now," she warned.

"Seven OK?" he asked.

"We'll see you then." She smiled as she watched him walk away to talk

to one of the other doctors.

"Have you had a piece of the cake?" Trudy asked her, thrusting a full

plate at her.

"No, I've been too busy talking to people," she said. "I'm going to

miss them all. And I should be the one wishing them all well. I know

I'm going to be happy in my new life, but they still have to put up

with McGreedy."

"Now, don't go feeling guilty. They'll manage," the older woman said.

"When will you be leaving?" Cameron asked, taking a bite of cake and

making sounds of delight.

"In three weeks."

"I hope you'll keep in touch, and not just Christmas cards once a

year," Cameron told her. She put her plate down and hugged Trudy.

"We will, and if you and Dr. House and Gretchen are ever in Arizona,

we'll want to see you, hear?"

"Of course," Cameron told her.

Clair came over to join them.

"I know that the two of you arranged this," Cameron said. "You didn't

have to, but thank you both, not just for this party but for, well,

everything." She was going to miss them the most of all.

UL 70. TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME

Zach and Catie arrived exactly at seven. This time Cameron and

Gretchen showed them around the house, inside and out. The young

couple obviously liked the house very much.

"I just heard from the realtor a little while ago that the family

that was interested in the house couldn't get a mortgage and won't

be able to buy it," Cameron told them. "Since we're leaving tomorrow,

you can work through the real estate agent. Here are his numbers."

She handed Thompson's card to Zach.

"Thanks, Allison," Zach said. "We're definitely interested." He

smiled at Catie.

"Our first house!" she said. "It's really exciting. And I promise

we'll take just as good care of it as you have. I just love your

kitchen!"

"You should have seen the kitchen in the house we looked at in New

Jersey," Gretchen said. "Everything was PINK!"

"Well, I like pink," Catie said. She was wearing a pretty pink top.

"I do too," Gretchen agreed. "But not this much pink!" She, too, was

wearing a pink top. "This was a neat house to grow up in and I'm sure

you'll be happy here," she said, trying to firm up the sale.

"So you're planning on sticking it out at ACH with McGreedy?"

Cameron asked Zach.

"I figure he can't last long. The board members are beginning to

question why doctors are leaving, and why we're losing our rep as a

leading edge hospital. You can't cut corners forever or attract the

best doctors if you do."

"Well, we wish you both the best," Cameron said, shaking their hands.

"You too," they called back as they left.

Friday morning, Gretchen entered the classroom for the last time.

She took her seat next to Emily and thought about the enormity of the

changes she was facing. She'd already had a taste of living with both

of her parents at the same time during all the weekends they'd spent

together, but she knew it wouldn't be the same. They wouldn't go to

ballgames or fairs or hot air ballooning every day.

And she'd be going to a different school with different kids and

different teachers. Would she be able to make new friends? She'd

have to try. And she was still hoping to go to the same school as

Tommy, and maybe Emily would join them soon, but it was...scary!

She'd also have the responsibility for taking care of Junior. True,

she'd begged for the dog, but now she thought about the

reality. Getting up early to take him for a walk. Making sure he had

enough food and water. He would depend on her for so much!

Mrs. Murphy came in and Gretchen brought her the last school project she'd done.

"I know this isn't due 'til next week, but since it's my last day

I'd better give it to you now."

Mrs. Murphy wasn't too surprised but still she said, "You didn't

really have to do this report."

Gretchen shrugged. "It was fun. I like doing experiments like this."

The project had been a study on how long it took different items,

a pin, a paper clip, a button, and some other things, to fall through

different liquids in a large glass. The liquids she'd used were

ordinary ones, including water, milk, and soda pop.

Lunchtime, DeeDee cornered Gretchen. "You're really leaving." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

DeeDee took a deep breath, then said all at once, "I'm moving too in

a couple of weeks. My Mom's getting married again." She rarely talked

about the fact that her parents were divorced.

"That's what you meant about living with someone who wasn't really

your Dad?" Gretchen asked.

"Yes. I couldn't talk to Meredith or Ceci about it. At least you'll be living with your real Dad, right?"

"Yes." Gretchen told her. "But maybe you'll like living with your

Mom and your step-father."

"But I love my real father. Why couldn't my Mom marry him again?"

DeeDee sniffed back her tears.

Gretchen shrugged. "I don't really understand adults and why they

want to be with one person or another. My Mom moved away from my

Dad before I was even born, and for years she didn't even tell him

about me. And now we're going to be all together and we love each

other very much. Maybe some day I'll really understand."

"Yeah," was all that DeeDee could say. But she felt a little better

after having this talk with Gretchen.

"It looks like Harvey will develop Type II Diabetes, or maybe already

has it," Sheffield reported to House and the other ducklings. "He

exhibits the locus on chromosome 2 associated with Diabetes

Mellitus."

"His blood glucose levels were never elevated," House pointed out.

"Genes don't lie," Sheffield said.

House nodded imperceptibly. "So what does that tell us? If the

disease hasn't manifested yet, than his problems can't be a side

effect of Diabetes."

"So we shouldn't look for diabetes-related heart or kidney problems?"

Yen asked. "Or maybe the tests were wrong."

"Hmmm. Did they ever do a fasting blood glucose test?" House asked.

His ducklings started to go through the records again.

"I don't see any," Sullivan said. "Do you really think he has

Diabetes?"

"Didn't it strike you as odd that his boys take after him, but

they're all very slim, while Harvey has to be at least 250 pounds?"

Three sets of eyes opened wide and three mouths said, "Oh!"

"Go set up the test, and also test his urine for proteinurea and

microalbumin," House ordered.

Cameron watched as the movers loaded furniture and boxes onto their

truck. Her dining room set and Gretchen's bed and bookcases. Boxes

of dishes and toys and books. The piano and the TV system. There was

no room for any of it at House's apartment but once they moved to

a house... She had to smile. Would the Pink House become the House

House?

After a few hours, the house she'd lived in for most of the past

ten years was empty. It felt so strange walking through the rooms.

Some bad memories, but mostly good ones. She hoped Zach and Catie

would be happy here if they bought the house.

Most of what they were taking with them was already in the car. As

soon as Gretchen returned from school they could leave.

There was a knock at the door. It was Caro with all the legal paper

work.

"I'm so glad you brought these." Cameron took the packet and

put it into her purse. "It gives me a chance to say goodbye again

and wish you well. We're leaving soon."

"Oh! Today?" Caro asked. "Well, I hope you and Gretchen have a great

life in New Jersey!"

"Thanks." Cameron smiled at the young woman. "I know you'll be a fine

lawyer some day. Good luck with your studies."

Once Caro was gone, Cameron took one last tour through the house,

stopping in Gretchen's room, the bathrooms and kitchen to make sure

they didn't leave anything. Then she sat on the stairway and waited

for Gretchen.

She didn't have long to wait. Gretchen came through the door and saw

her. The house looked so strange, so different. It wasn't where she lived anymore.

"Bye, house," Gretchen said. "I hope your new owners take care of

you and love living here."

"I'm pretty sure Zach and Catie will buy the house," her mother told

her.

"That's good." They both looked around one more time, then went out

to the car.

Gretchen stowed her school pouch in the backseat after taking Memory

out to ride with her. She strapped herself in, then told the stuffed

elephant, "Take one last look at the house so you can remember what

it looked like. Now we're really going home."

As they drove to the Thruway, Gretchen told Cameron what her last day

at school was like. "I know I'll see Emily again, but I'll miss

everyone else."

"I know, sweetie. I'll miss everyone at the hospital."

They began a game of 'Is this the last time I see...' as they drove

along, but once they were miles away from Albany they became quiet

for a while, thinking about what the future might bring.

Then they began to talk about how they might change the kitchen in

the Pink House.

"I think the counters should be baby blue," Gretchen said. "And maybe

the floor too. But everything else can be white, or black, or maybe

even silver-color."

"Hmmm, that sounds pretty nice," Cameron agreed.

"Do you think Dad will think so?"

"You really liked that house, didn't you?"

"Yes, and..." All of a sudden, everything went black.

_Disclaimer:_

_I know, I know. You're thinking "Isn't this the most cliche cliffie?_

_Trite dramatic contrivance much? And didn't this story start with a_

_crash, or at least because of one?"_

_Frankly I debated with myself whether to do this. But the scenes that_

_follow were so strongly stuck in my head and appealed to me so much_

_more than anything else I could write, that I just had to._

_Please don't throw tomatoes. I'll post the next two chapters on Monday. All may yet be very well._


	36. Chapters 71 and 72

__I'll be posting 2 chapters of this story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next couple of weeks, but then we'll be leaving for a three-week trip to New York by way of St. Louis and Ohio. During our trip, I'll post when I have the time and the internet connection.__

**Chapter 71. SO MUCH FOR MY HAPPY ENDING**

House refused to look at his watch again. There had to be a reason

why they were late, why Allison wasn't answering her cell. But that

didn't stop him from having a sense of dread.

He imagined everything that could have happened to them, picturing

them both bathed in blood.

He decided at one point that Cameron had changed her mind, that they

weren't coming, and she couldn't face telling him. But he knew, or

at least hoped, that wasn't the case.

His phone finally rang. "Cameron, where the devil are you?" he

exploded.

"Dad, it's me, Gretchen." A small voice cut through his rant, and the

dread became more solid.

"Gretchen, where's your mother? What happened?"

"We were in a really big accident, lots of cars and trucks."

House slumped in his chair. "What happened?" he repeated in a

whisper.

"The doctors are working on Mom now. But they won't tell me anything."

She couldn't help whine. "No one would call you, so I did. Dad, I'm

really scared."

"Where are you?" He was already out of the chair.

"We're in the ER at Elizabeth Medical Center," she said.

"I'm on my way."

He took Route 1 northeast to Elizabeth, New Jersey, arriving at the

hospital in thirty-five minutes. He parked the bike and went

immediately to the ER. It was still in chaos, but he spotted Gretchen

right away, clutching Memory in one arm and the other in a cast.

Gretchen jumped up from her seat and ran to him as soon as he passed

through the door. The familiar unkempt hair, unshaven face and

intense blue eyes so like her own made her feel so much safer. "Dad!"

She burrowed into his chest.

He grabbed her with his free arm and held her tight. "How's your

Mom?" he asked.

"I still don't know. They won't tell me much. They're really busy

'cause there were so many people hurt in the accident."

They found a wall to lean against, since the chairs were all taken,

now even the one Gretchen had been sitting in.

"What happened to your arm?" House asked.

"Broke it. Again." She tried to smile.

A nurse came over to them. "Gretchen, is this a relative?"

"He's my Dad," the girl replied.

"Oh, Sir, your wife..."

"She's not..." he began automatically.

"No, no, she's alive."

He didn't correct her misunderstanding of what he was going to say.

Let them think what they wanted, as long as Allison was alive, as

long as he could see her.

"Can I see her?" He saw Gretchen's expectant look and amended "Can we

see her?"

The nurse seemed sympathetic. "Just a few minutes. She may need

surgery and they'll be taking her to confirm that as soon as they

have a room available. I'm sure Doctor Carter will let you see her."

House nodded in understanding. "Can I speak to him? About her

condition, I mean? I'm a doctor, too."

"I'll see if he has a moment."

A teenager wandered over to them. "Dad, this is my new friend, Elena,"

Gretchen said. "Elena, this is my Dad."

House looked at the girl and she looked at him. "They won't tell us

anything," Elena said. "My mom's leg is broken, I know, but I don't

know anything about my dad. I don't know what to do."

"You can stay with us until you can see your mom," Gretchen offered.

House shrugged. Why not? A few seats were now empty as some of the

people waiting got up to leave or see loved ones, so they sat down

for what might be a long wait. But House was getting impatient. He

got up again and left the girls, then went looking for the nurse

they'd spoken to before.

"I want answers and I want them now. What is Dr. Cameron's condition

and what are they doing for her?"

The nurse had dealt with distraught relatives before. "I just asked

Dr. Carter to talk to you and arrange for you to see Dr. Cameron."

She returned a couple of minutes later with a doctor about Cameron's

age. He looked exhausted, his light brown hair disheveled and his

shoulders sagging.

"I understand you're a doctor. We're still trying to stabilize Dr.

Cameron. Her blood pressure is very low. We think she's bleeding

internally so we need to do some imaging to determine where. It's

very possible that her uterus is involved. If it is, we might have to

do a hysterectomy."

"No!" Gretchen cried out. She'd come to stand next to her father when

she saw the doctor approach. Both men looked at the girl. House

realized why she was so upset. "Sweetheart," he said, finding himself

calling her what her mother usually did. "We both want your Mom to

live, don't we?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Whatever they have to do, right?" he asked.

"Yes."

"OK." He looked at Carter. "Can we see her for a few minutes before

you take her?"

"That should be OK," the doctor said. "She's sedated and, I have to

warn you, her face is pretty cut up from flying glass."

House just nodded. He took Gretchen's hand and the two of them

followed Dr. Carter into a room.

Cameron looked very pale. Her face was criss-crossed by cuts that

had been treated with liquid bandages and artificial skin.

"Most of the cuts will heal completely. She may have a small scar

here and here." Carter indicated spots above her right

eyebrow and on her left cheek.

House let go of Gretchen's hand and took one of Cameron's. He

squeezed it. Then Gretchen did the same to the other.

House's eyes automatically went to the gauges and readouts,

confirming that Carter was right. They'd probably have to operate

if they were going to save Cameron's life.

**Chapter 72. YOU'VE GOT TO BELIEVE IT'LL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END**

Gretchen sat on House's left knee with her right arm and its cast

resting on his shoulder. He was absent-mindedly rubbing his right

leg. "Your Mom's gonna be OK," he reassured his daughter.

"How do you know?" The corners of her mouth turned down.

He sighed. "Because the alternative is unthinkable."

A middle-aged, dark-haired woman approached, carrying a stack of

files.

"Greg? What are you doing here?" she asked.

He stared at her for a minute before responding. "Stacy. I could ask

you the same thing."

"I work here. I have to get releases signed by victims of this

terrible accident or their relatives. You weren't hurt or have

someone...?"

"My Mom," the girl spoke up, eying this woman with suspicion. She

knew who Stacy was.

"Oh," Stacy was confused. But there was something familiar about the

child.

"Gretchen was a 'victim' too. Broke her arm, as you can see. You

need a release signed for her? Because I can do that, she's my

daughter."

"Oh!" Stacy said again. She started to go through her files to look

for Gretchen's.

Dr. Carter returned. It was clear the surgery was over. "Dr. Cameron

had a ruptured spleen. We had to remove it, but she should be OK

now."

"No hysterectomy?" Gretchen needed confirmation.

"No."

"That's good, right Dad?" the girl asked.

House nodded. "Can we see her?" House asked, relieved and completely

forgetting the lawyer. Gretchen looked at Dr. Carter pleadingly.

"She'll be in recovery in a few minutes and you can see her there."

"Thank you," House said and the surgeon left. "Let's go, Kiddo. We

want to be there when she wakes up."

Stacy watched them walk away, hand-in-hand. She'd finally realized

what was familiar about the girl. She followed them out of curiosity,

and watched from outside as House and Gretchen walked into the

recovery room. Cameron was still asleep. They stood together at the

side of the bed looking down on her. House touched her cut cheek

gently, then took her hand firmly in his.

Cameron began to come around. A sound escaped her parched lips, then

a name. "Greg."

"I'm right here, Allison," he murmured.

"Where's Gretchen? Is she alright?" She seemed to panic.

"I'm here too, Mom," her daughter said.

Her eyes fluttered as she tried to focus. House looked around for a

wet cloth to moisten her lips and eyes. Not finding one, he kissed

them instead. "You're gonna be OK," he told her. Seeing that, Stacy

walked away.

"Gretchen, you're alright?" Cameron managed to say.

"Yeah, just broke my arm again." Gretchen lifted the arm with

the cast.

"What happened?"

"Multiple car and truck accident," House told her. "You were caught

in the middle, couldn't avoid it from what they tell me. Your

seat belt and airbags prevented it from being worse. Our girl called

me as soon as they set her arm."

She nodded, then winced. She hurt in so many places. "What are my

injuries?"

"Cuts on your face from the glass," he began to enumerate.

"That's why it feels so stiff?"

"Yes." He studied her. "Adds character, like a dueling scar."

"There's more, isn't there?" She needed to know the worst.

"You lost a lot of blood - internal bleeding. They had to remove

your spleen." Repeating the clinical facts made the injuries seem

less scary, less serious.

"Hmmm." Cameron, too, tried to distance herself, think like a doctor,

not a patient. But it didn't make it hurt less.

"You're awake," the nurse said cheerfully as she entered. "We're going

to move you to a room." She turned to House and Gretchen. "You'll be

able to see her again once she's settled."

"What time is it?" Cameron suddenly asked. "Have either of you slept

or eaten anything?"

"Don't worry about us," House told her, smiling now that she was

acting like the Cameron he knew. That had to be a good sign. "We'll

see you again in a little while. Let's go Kiddo."

"OK," Gretchen told him, then turned back to her mother. "Mom, why

don't you hold on to Memory." She put the stuffed elephant on her

mother's chest. "We'll see you soon."

They each got a drink from a vending machine, then went back to the

waiting room. The first thing they saw was Stacy approaching Elena.

Gretchen looked at her father with apparent concern.

"Stacy, what did you need from her?" House asked.

"Someone has to sign for her father. And her mother doesn't speak

English," Stacy replied.

"She does, well some, anyway," Elena said. "She's probably so scared

she's reverted to Romanian."

"She seems very agitated and is refusing to have them set her leg,"

Stacy told them all.

"Where is she?" House asked.

Stacy narrowed her eyes, then remembered his language skills. "I'll

take you."

"Gretchen, stay with Elena, OK? I'll be right back and then we can

go see your mother again. Oh, and watch for Wilson. He said he'd

be here soon."

As they walked to the room where the doctor and nurses were trying

to treat Elena's mother, Stacy asked, "So you married Cameron?"

"No," House responded simply.

"Oh, then you can't sign for her."

"She's awake. If you really need to, you can ask her to sign for

herself. But don't harass her, OK?"

"I don't harass people," she insisted.

He let it drop. They reached the room where a nurse was trying to

calm Mrs. Tedescu.

"What's wrong?" House asked.

The nurse looked at Stacy for assurance that she could tell him.

"He's a doctor and he may be able to get through to her," Stacy said.

The nurse nodded. "We need to set her leg, but she won't let anyone

touch her. She keeps saying something that sounds like 'mew feeka

mew sot'.

House pressed his lips together and made a popping sound. "Mrs.

Tedescu. Ta fiica fi bine si cea doctor trata tau sot. Cum iti este?"

He tapped her leg. "Ta gamba," he mimed a breaking motion. "Ruptura."

"Adevarat?" she asked

"Da."

"Multumesc." she said and smiled at him.

"What was that about?" Stacy asked.

"She needed reassurance that her daughter was OK. I told her the

doctors are working on her husband. She'll let them set her leg now."

"Thank you, Greg" Stacy said.

"You're welcome." House turned and walked back to the waiting room

and the girls. Stacy stared after him.


	37. Chapters 73 and 74

__Here are your Wednesday chapters for this week. Read, enjoy, and if you feel like it, leave me a few words. I love to hear from my readers!__

**UL 73. LET'S STAY TOGETHER**

House was still in the waiting room when Wilson arrived fifteen

minutes later. Both House and Gretchen had been reassuring Elena that

her mother would be OK and might join her soon. The crowd was

thinning out and there were now lots of seats.

"How's Cameron?" Wilson rushed in and didn't bother to

say 'hello'.

"She'll be OK," House told him.

"We can see her in her room soon," Gretchen added.

"They had to remove her spleen and her face is pretty bad." It didn't

sound too good but House sounded very relieved. He didn't notice

Stacy approaching.

Wilson looked at House and knew he wouldn't be able to get him to

budge from the hospital. "Gretchen, I can take you home with me.

Tommy would like that."

"Thanks Uncle Jimmy, but I wanna stay with Mom and Dad."

"I figured that. But I needed to offer. Can I do anything else for you two?"

"Junior!" Gretchen exclaimed. She'd almost forgotten about the dog.

"Yeah. I left him food and water. But can you look in on him?"

"Why don't you take him home with you?" Gretchen asked. "I know Tommy

would help take care of him and Aunt Lisa won't mind."

Stacy had reached them. Although she was really looking for Elena,

she greeted her old friend. "Hi Jim."

"Stacy!" Wilson was surprised to see her.

"She works here," House told Wilson.

"Oh," Wilson said, wondering whether this was going to lead to

problems.

"Maybe we can catch up later," Stacy said. "Right now I'd like to

take Elena to her mother."

"Really?" the teenager asked.

"Yes. It'll be easier than having her come here. She's having a hard

time getting used to the crutches she'll need until her leg heals."

She led the girl off.

"Her parents were both hurt in the accident," Gretchen explained to

Wilson.

As soon as Stacy and Elena were gone, the nurse returned to say that

they could see Cameron.

"Gretchen, stay with your Uncle Jimmy for a few minutes," House said.

"I need to talk to your mother alone, then you can both come in."

"OK" Gretchen agreed, but couldn't hide the disappointment on her face. "What are you going to talk about? You're not keeping something from me, are you?"

House shook his head. "Of course not."

When House limped into the room, Cameron's first words were "Where's

Gretchen?"

House smirked. "I'm not a good enough visitor?"

"Of course I'm glad to see you," she protested.

He nodded. "I just needed to talk to you out of the Squirt's earshot.

She's with Wilson." He sat down on the edge of the bed.

Cameron looked questioningly at him. Her thoughts echoed Gretchen's

What did he want to keep from their daughter?

House closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and

let it out, cleared his throat. "Allison, I think we should get

married."

Her shock sent every other thought out of her head, but then she

said, "Are you asking me or telling me?"

"I...you've given me the right to make decisions about Gretchen, I

can sign medical releases for her, I can call the shots. But I can't

do diddly for you."

"Is that what this is all about?"

"Well, partly." He nodded slowly.

She studied him, then began looking around the room. "Are my things

here? My purse?"

"Yeah." His eyes narrowed, as he wondered what that had to do with anything. He saw a pile of clothes and her purse.

She smiled enigmatically. "Open my purse. You'll find a packet of

papers in it."

He found the purse was jam-packed with her wallet, glasses, checkbook

and lots of other things, some of which he hadn't a clue about what

they were for. He found the papers finally and took them out. At her

nod, he began to look at them. "A will?"

"There's more."

Next he found a power of attorney, and then a medical power of

attorney, both giving him the right to make decisions for her if she

couldn't by herself.

"So I could have signed the releases for you all along," he mused.

"Yes."

"Well, now that you're awake, you'll probably be getting a visit from

a member of the hospital legal department at some point." He knew

he had to tell her about Stacy, if only so that she wouldn't be too

shocked to see her.

She raised her eyebrows, then winced. She'd have to avoid doing that

again until her face healed. But what was he trying to tell her?

"Stacy," he blurted.

A big "Ohhh!" She studied his face, but there were no signs that

seeing Stacy after all these years had affected him. There was

something else she wanted clarified. "Greg, you started this

conversation by saying we should get married. Did you...do you want

to retract that?"

"Why?"

She shook her head. Sometimes she wished he were a simpler person,

one without multiple confusing reasons for everything he did. But

then he wouldn't be the amazing man she loved. "Yes," she finally

said.

He nodded. "Good." He got up. "I'll go get Gretchen and Wilson."

**UL 74. IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING**

While House and Cameron were segueing into a new stage in their

relationship, Gretchen waited impatiently with Wilson. "What d'ya

think they're talking about?" the child asked.

"I've known your father more than sixteen years, and I still can

never predict what he'll say or do. You OK?

Besides the arm I mean."

"Yes, I'm fine. But I was really worried about Mom."

Stacy returned alone. "Where's Greg?" she asked Wilson.

"He's in with Allison."

"I gather a lot has changed since I talked to you last."

"Yes." Wilson smiled. The changes in his life had all turned out well

but he was curious about hers. "How long have you been working here?"

he asked.

"Four years, almost five really. Time flies." She smiled ruefully.

"And Mark?"

"He...he left six years ago. With his physical therapist. I guess he

wanted someone who could give him more than half her heart, and he

finally decided that wasn't me." She needed to change the subject

before she got teary-eyed. "So, you and Lisa, huh?"

Wilson nodded. "Surprised me too. Especially that it's lasted almost

ten years now. We have a son."

"Tommy," Gretchen piped up. "He's one of my two bestest friends."

"House is beginning to refer to them as the three amigos." Wilson

grinned.

"He does?" Gretchen giggled. "I like that. It was a pretty funny

movie, too." She saw Stacy's quizzical look and felt she had to

explain. "Amigos means friends in Spanish," the child lectured the

lawyer.

Stacy smiled at her. "I knew that. I was just thinking about how much

like your father you are."

Gretchen shrugged. "Mom says I have many of his best traits and many

of hers."

"She's probably right," Stacy agreed. "You know your mother is going

to be OK, don't you?"

"Yeah," Gretchen said.

"And you're both moving to New Jersey?" Stacy asked.

"Yes. We were on our way there when it happened. The accident."

Gretchen looked up as her father returned. "Dad!" She grinned at him.

"Hey, Squirt. Your mom wants to see you," he told her and to Wilson

"She wants to see you too, but don't ask me why."

"Aren't you coming?" Gretchen asked.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Gotta sign some releases." He rolled

his eyes.

House and Stacy watched them head off to Cameron's room, then Stacy

handed House the release form for Gretchen. He continued to hold his

hand out impatiently. "Allison's too. I can sign it for her."

"Her verbal permission isn't really enough," Stacy warned.

House transferred the form he was holding to his cane-carrying hand

and pulled out Cameron's paperwork from his jeans pocket with his

left hand. He smirked. "I've got power of attorney, all legal and

proper."

Stacy raised her eyebrows. "OK," she said and handed him the release

for Cameron.

House found a seat, read through each of the consent forms, then

signed them. "Can't be too careful. I don't want to give the hospital

the right to do unnecessary surgery."

"Greg!" Stacy exclaimed.

"Hi Mom!" Gretchen said. She walked to the side of the bed. Cameron

reached out and hugged her tightly.

"Hi Sweetheart. How're you doing?"

The girl sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm fine. Even my arm doesn't

hurt. Are you feeling better?"

"Much." Cameron told her. She was less groggy now that the anesthetic

had worn off completely, although the pain killers still had her a

little fuzzy. She pushed the button to raise the upper part of the

bed a little more. "Hi Jim. Where's Greg?" she asked Wilson.

"He said something about signing some releases," Wilson said. He

didn't want to mention Stacy. He hadn't known what condition Cameron

would be in, physically or emotionally. As House had done, his eyes

traveled to the readouts of all the monitors she was hooked up to.

It looked like she was doing pretty well.

"Stacy's paperwork for Gretchen and me, I guess." She nodded.

"He told you that she's working here now?" Wilson asked.

"Yes."

"She's nicer than I thought," Gretchen said.

"Well of course she's nice," Cameron agreed. "Your father could never

have loved someone who wasn't nice."

Gretchen thought about that and realized her mother was right.

"Well, I've got to leave," Wilson said. "We'll all come back tomorrow,

I guess I mean later today."

"You'll remember to get Junior, won't you Uncle Jimmy?" Gretchen

asked.

"Sure, Gretchen. Allison good to see that you'll be OK." He walked

to the bed and gave her a little hug.

"Thanks for coming Jim." She smiled at him. Smiling wasn't as painful

as other expressions.

He smiled back and left.

"Gretchen, I want to tell you something," Cameron said when he was

gone. She was still smiling but Gretchen was afraid of what her

mother might say. "Remember you asked me a question a few days ago?

And I told you that when we decided you'd be the first one we'd

tell?"

Gretchen suddenly realized what she was talking about. "You and Dad

are getting married?"

"Yes" Cameron confirmed.

"Hooray! That is soooo outrageous!" She couldn't have grinned any

more broadly.


	38. Chapters 75 and 76

__Here are your Friday chapters for this week. These were definitely fun to write.__

**Chapter 75. HUNGRY LIKE A WOLF**

"Well, my two girls look happy." House entered Cameron's room grinning at them both.

Gretchen hopped off her mother's hospital bed and grabbed him around

the waist. "You and Mom are getting married!"

"No! No one told me!" He feigned shock.

"Dad!"

House smiled at her. "Guess we should celebrate. Besides, I'm hungry.

Whaddya say you and I try to put together a feast and bring it back

to share with your Mom."

"Oh, yes! I'm hungry too."

"Don't know what we'll be able to come up with at three in the

morning. Allie, try and sleep while we're scavenging, OK? We won't

be long."

"Sure." Cameron watched them leave and then closed her eyes. She

drifted a bit but really, even with the pain meds, she was too

uncomfortable to sleep. And she was hungry too. She thought that

was a good sign.

When she opened her eyes, it wasn't House and Gretchen she saw, but

Stacy. "I thought Greg signed the releases."

The lawyer nodded. "He did. I just wanted to check on how you

were doing."

"Oh." Cameron didn't know what to make of this gesture. "Not too bad."

Stacy studied Cameron's damaged face. Despite the cuts, she was still

beautiful. "I understand they had to operate."

"Yes, I was bleeding internally."

"But you'll be OK?" There was genuine concern in the older woman's

voice.

Cameron hesitated. "Yes."

"That's good." Stacy sounded relieved. "Where are Greg and

Gretchen?"

"They went to find something to eat," Cameron told her.

"That's one fantastic kid you've got." Stacy smiled.

Cameron relaxed. "Thanks. I'm pretty fond of her myself."

"I've never seen Greg look at anyone the way he looks at her," Stacy

went on.

"He loves her in a completely different way than he loved you or

loves me. It's a pure, unconditional, completely

open love. Of course, he spoils her rotten, can't say 'no' to her."

"I'm sure he'd say 'no' if he didn't want the same things she does,"

Stacy said. Cameron just nodded in agreement. "I just wanted you

to know that I wish all three of you the best," Stacy concluded.

"Thank you!"

House and Gretchen returned, their arms loaded with vending machine

goodies and drinks.

"Stacy, I hoped you wouldn't bother Allison," House said

with a frown.

"It's OK, Greg, she just came by to make sure I was OK, and tell me

what a great kid we have." Cameron smirked at Gretchen.

The girl blushed, thinking that she was just about to tell Stacy what

they were celebrating, kind of rubbing it in. Instead she said

nothing.

"Well, I'd better go. It's been a very long night. It

really was good to see you both again. Gretchen, I'm glad I got to

meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," the girl said.

After Stacy left, Cameron asked, "So what did you get?" They'd dumped

everything on the bed. "Let's see. From the carb food group, potato

chips. Oh, and some protein - peanuts and peanut butter crackers.

And what's this? Dare I say fruit?" She held up some fruit roll-ups.

"And of course, most important of all, the chocolate food group!"

There were several different candy bars. "You two sure know how to

throw a party!"

"I think your mother's feeling better," House told Gretchen.

"Much," Gretchen agreed, and they all laughed.

"Cafeteria's not open this early or should I say this late," House

tried to explain.

"Whyever not?" Cameron asked facetiously.

They laughed again, and then they each took something. None of them

had eaten any supper the night before. By the time they'd worked

their way through the pile of treats, the night nurse came in.

"Are you still awake?" she asked Cameron.

"We really should leave and let you sleep," House said.

"What about you two?" Cameron was as concerned about them as they

were about her.

The nurse looked at them, then pointedly at the other bed in the

room. "Sir, you can use that one and maybe I can scare up a cot for

your daughter."

"I can sleep on this recliner," Gretchen volunteered.

"Well, I'll get you some blankets and another pillow." The nurse

hurried off and then returned quickly with bedding and some spare

toiletries from the hospital supplies.

"Thank you Miss...?" Cameron said.

"Florence." The nurse indicated her hospital badge.

Gretchen giggled, only partly because she was over tired.

"Yes, I've had to put up with all the comments and jokes, but I

didn't become a nurse because of my name."

"Well, you've been very kind," Cameron told her. "Thanks."

She left them to settle in for the night and soon heard their voices

say, "Goodnight, Greg", "Goodnight, Allison", "Goodnight Mom," Goodnight

Dad", "Goodnight Gretchen".

**Chapter 76. GOOD MORNING STARSHINE**

House woke four hours later. He looked around and realized where he

was and why. He stood and limped over to the hospital bed where

Cameron slept, straightened the covers on her and leaned over to

kiss her forehead. She was so slight, there was plenty of room on the

bed for him to stretch out again next to her. Once he did, he watched

her breath, not sure who to thank for sparing her life.

He glanced over to the recliner where his daughter was also still

sleeping. He couldn't look at the child without smiling.

Cameron stirred and moaned. He was afraid he'd disturbed her and knew

she needed rest to recover faster, so he started to get up again but

felt her arm reach out for him.

"Don't go," she rasped. She slowly opened her eyes and stared into

his. "I was having a dream where we pigged out on candy and chips."

"Nah. Never happened."

They both chuckled.

"How're the aches and pains? Need more painkillers?"

She had to think about it. "Not too bad. I don't think I'm ready for

a workout on my treadmill, but I could probably manage to sit in a

chair, maybe take a stroll to the bathroom. My teeth feel fuzzy and

taste sour."

"It was that last Snickers bar." He helped her up and over to the

tiny bathroom, dragging the tree with her IV fluids along.

She unwrapped a non-electric toothbrush. "How low-tech." Then she

squeezed a bit of paste from the tiny tube supplied with the brush

and cleaned her teeth. House did the same while he was there with the

brush their very own Florence Nightingale gave him the night before.

Cameron ran her tongue over her teeth. "Much better," she said, but

House had to run his own experiment. He kissed her and tested her

mouth with his own tongue. "Minty," he declared.

"I need to use the toilet," Cameron told him, so he limped out to give

her enough room.

"Call if you need anything."

Gretchen was finally waking up, but when she saw her mother's empty

bed, she panicked. "Where's Mom?" she cried out.

"Chill, Squirt. She's in the bathroom."

"Oh." She'd calmed down. "I feel grubby."

"Well, what did you expect? You slept in your clothes, clothes you've

probably been wearing for twenty-four hours."

"How're we going to get our stuff?" she asked. "You know. Everything

Mom and I had in the car."

"Good question" House said, his eyebrows raised. He'd been so

concerned about Gretchen and Allison the night before he hadn't asked

about the car or its contents. He started a list in his head of

things to do, and finding out about the car was at the top.

Cameron walked slowly and a little bit unsteadily out of the bathroom

but smiled when she saw that Gretchen was awake. "Good morning,

Sweetheart."

"Morning, Mom. You're walking. That's good, isn't it?" the girl

asked.

An orderly entered, carrying a breakfast tray.

"Let's get you back in bed," House said. He could see that the small

amount of exertion had worn Cameron out. "Eat your breakfast and I'll

take Gretchen to the cafeteria."

Knowing how he hated hospital cafeteria coffee, Cameron suggested

"Why don't you take her someplace else to eat?"

"We don't want to go too far away," Gretchen answered for him.

Cameron chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be here when

you come back."

They hadn't noticed three people come to the open door until the

woman knocked.

"Morning, everyone." Cuddy walked into the room with

Wilson and Tommy right behind her. Wilson was carrying a tray with

four coffees and two milks and Cuddy had a container that was

emitting a heavenly smell.

"Jim made some of his macademia nut pancakes so we decided to join

you all for breakfast."

As she opened the container and placed a few pancakes on each of the

plates that Tommy had carried in, House told Gretchen, "You are in

for a real treat."

Wilson brought Cameron one of the cups of coffee. "You're looking

better this morning." They moved the tray with the hospital breakfast

out of the way and everyone found a place to sit.

Tommy couldn't take his eyes off of Gretchen's cast. "Can I sign it?"

he asked. His mother looked in her purse and found a marker. After

Tommy signed, everyone else did too.

Soon there was silence in the room except for the occasional beep of

a monitor and chomping sounds as everyone ate.

Before he started on a second helping of pancakes, House said "We

need to find out how to get Allison's and Gretchen's belongings from

the car, and then I want to have Allison transferred to PPTH."

"Why do I need to be transferred? I should be able to go home soon,

shouldn't I?" the patient in question asked.

"You shouldn't have to be in the hospital for more than two or three

days. But maybe House is right." Wilson looked at his wife.

She could probably make it happen.

Cuddy nodded. "I know some people here. Allison, we can get you moved

later today."

"Maybe you're all right. At least then Greg and Gretchen can go

home for a while, and Gretchen can start school on Monday after all."

Cameron reluctantly agreed.

"I hope you're in my class," Tommy told his friend. "Mrs. Bean is sooo

cool!"

They all finished eating, satisfied smiles all around.

"Thank you for this," Cameron told Cuddy and Wilson. "This really

was a treat."

"It was our pleasure. And a good excuse to get Jim to

make his pancakes."


	39. Chapters 77 and 78

__So it's Monday, and time for two more chapters. Read and enjoy, and if you have the time, leave me a few words.__

**Chapter 77. WRECKED**

House returned to Cameron's room with news. "The cars from the accident were

towed to a collision place a few miles from here."

"How are you going to get everything on your bike?" she asked.

"I can take him over there in my car," Wilson offered.

"And meanwhile, I'll start the process to get you transferred to

PPTH," Cuddy told Cameron. She headed off toward the Medical Center

Administration Office.

"Dad, should I stay with Mom?" Gretchen looked at House.

He smiled briefly and nodded. "Wilson and I will get what we can

and find out the condition of the car."

"Tommy, you stay here with Gretchen and your Aunt Allison," Wilson

told his son. "Your Mom will be back soon."

The boy didn't object, and the two men headed out.

They drove to the auto repair place. It was bigger than they had

expected, with five tow trucks out front and loads of wrecked cars

out back. There was no one in the office, not surprising since it was

the weekend. But a short and heavyset Hispanic man was walking among

the cars.

"Can I help you?" he asked as they approached him.

"Looking for one of the cars from the big accident last night." House

assumed there'd only been one big accident.

The man 'tsk-tsk'ed through his thick black mustache. "That was quite

something. I had to take one of the tow trucks out myself.

In all my years in the business, I've never seen such a crumpled

mess." He shook his head and paused for a breath. "A miracle no one was killed."

"But there were lots of people who were badly injured," Wilson

reminded him.

"So, which one?" the man asked. "Oh, by the way, names Gonzalez, like

the sign says." He pointed at the large sign they'd seen as they

arrived. "Miguel Gonzalez." He held out a beefy hand that Wilson

shook.

House ignored the outstretched hand but answered his question. "It's

a silver Ford Phoenix, New York plates."

"Your car?" Miguel asked.

"My - uh - fiancee's." House was going to have to get used to calling

Cameron that, at least for a while. Wilson eyes and mouth opened wide, then

his forehead creased and he stared at House.

"She's still in the hospital, but we wanted to get some of her things

for her and some of my daughter's things."

Miguel nodded. "I think I know which one you mean. It's right over

here. Not really too much damage." He led them directly to it. The

left front portion of the car, including the driver's door, was

pushed in, and all the windows on the left side were shattered. The

airbags, both front and side, had inflated and filled the condensed

interior of the car. It really was a wonder that Allison and Gretchen

weren't hurt any more than they were.

"You call this 'not much damage'?" House asked.

"Have you seen the others?" Miguel swept his hand to

indicate all of the twisted metal and broken glass of the cars around

them. "Can I see some ID?" he finally asked.

House pulled out Cameron's papers and showed him the Power of

Attorney. "The insurance card and registration for the car are in the

name of Allison Cameron. These papers give me permission to sign

for her."

Miguel looked at the papers, then reached into the car and, with a bit of difficulty, opened the glove box. He found a copy of the insurance card that confirmed what House told him. "OK, fine with me. Guess you can take

what you want. I'll be in the office and you can come in and sign

that you've removed the owner's belongings." He handed House back the

papers. "I'll bring back the keys so you can open the trunk." He

took off towards the office.

House wrenched open the right side doors. He found Gretchen's school

pouch in the back of the car, essentially undamaged. As he and Wilson

rummaged through the back for anything that wasn't a part of the car,

he felt his leg begin to hurt, but he pushed on. He'd gotten out of

the habit of automatically reaching for his pills the moment he felt

a twinge of pain, although he knew he couldn't go much longer without

taking one.

Miguel came back with the car keys and they opened the trunk, which

also hadn't been damaged. Inside were suitcases and boxes. House and

Wilson began to remove them, then Wilson asked, "Would it be all

right to bring my car closer so it'll be easier to transfer all of

this?"

"Be my guest," Miguel said, but he was watching House's struggle.

When Wilson returned, without asking, he pitched in to help them

carry the suitcases and boxes from one car to the other. Soon

everything House thought his girls would want was in Wilson's car.

"Come on back to the office and you can sign the papers."

As they walked, House studied the man. He'd been more helpful than

he had to be, and that was rare in House's experience.

House signed the forms and he and Wilson headed back to the hospital.

"So, what's next on your to-do list?" Wilson asked.

"Have to call the insurance company, I guess. Eventually Cameron

will need a new car but she won't be driving anytime soon."

"Were you serious before, when you called her your fiancee?"

House realized they hadn't told anyone, but now that Wilson knew, it

would be all over the hospital. He shrugged. What difference did it

make? "I think we're kinda engaged."

**Chapter 78. AND THEY CALL IT PUPPY LOVE**

A young doctor entered Cameron's room. He found her sitting up and

watching Saturday morning TV with two children.

"Dr. Cameron?" His voice was tentative.

"Yes, that's me. And this is my daughter Gretchen and her

friend Tommy."

"Hi," the kids said in unison.

"I have to examine you," the doctor said. "Um, check your incision

and bruises?"

"Sure." Cameron smiled at his nervousness. Probably an intern or

maybe a resident. Goodness, he seemed so young. "Kids, why don't you

go out to the visitors' lounge."

Gretchen and Tommy looked at each other, shrugged and left.

"I'm Dr. Salerno," the young man said, as he began to look closely

at her face. "Looks like these are already healing."

Next, he shifted her gown and examined her surgery incision. It too

looked good.

"How long have you worked here?" Cameron tried to make conversation

and put him at ease.

"Uh, a few months. I, uh, just started my residency."

"You're a doctor. What are you so nervous about?" She tried not to

sound too harsh.

He looked at her kind face and began to relax a little. "My last

internship was in an infectious disease unit. I...I've read just

about everything you've written about the Brazilian flu." There was

awe in his voice now. When had she become a doctor that others looked

up to? She had to smile at the thought.

"Thank you. That's very nice to hear."

Cuddy returned to the room and said, "Arrangements are being made.

They'll 'copter you to PPTH late this afternoon." She wasn't about

to tell Cameron how many chips she had to cash in to make this

happen. She watched the young doctor leave the room. "Everything OK?"

"He said I'm healing well. He also made me feel like a hundred. Was

I ever that young?"

Cuddy thought back to the Cameron she first knew twelve years before.

"Very young!" she said with a smile.

Gretchen and Tommy were the only ones in the lounge. They were

becoming bored with the TV.

"Do you think it's too early to call Em?" Gretchen asked.

Tommy shrugged. "She's probably up by now. It's almost ten."

Gretchen took out her phone, and speed dialed their friend. Emily

answered on the second ring.

"Gretchen? We were wondering why you and your Mom didn't call last

night."

"Oh, Em, we were in this really big accident," Gretchen told her.

"Oh, no, are you OK?"

"Yes, just broke my arm again."

"How's your Mom?" Emily asked next.

"They had to operate to stop some bleeding, and her face is all

scratched up, but she's going to be OK. My Dad's here. And Tommy and

his Mom and Dad."

Tommy grabbed the phone. "Hi Emily."

"Hi Tommy. Are Gretchen and her Mom really OK?"

"Yes, and my Mom is trying to get them to move Aunt Allison to PPTH."

"Where are you all now?"

"We're in Elizabeth," he said. "And Em, while Gretchen's here, I'm

taking care of her puppy."

"Junior? She told me about him."

"My Dad says if I do a good job, I can get a dog, too."

It was Gretchen's turn to grab the phone back. "Now we just have to

get your Mom to let you have a dog."

"How are we ever going to do that?" Emily asked. Her mother had

refused when the subject first came up.

"Well," said Gretchen. "I've got a plan."

House and Wilson returned from Gonzalez' collision place and

brought Gretchen's pouch and a few items of clothing for Cameron

and Gretchen to Cameron's room.

"Where are the kids?" Wilson asked.

"In the visitors' lounge," Cameron told him.

Just then, the two children walked back in, huge grins on their

faces.

The four parents looked at each other warily.

"We just talked to Emily," Gretchen said. "You should call Aunt Clair,"

she told her mother.

"And what have the three amigos been up to?" House asked.

"Did you know my Dad was calling us that?" Gretchen asked Tommy.

"Yeah, my Dad told me."

The two of them continued to grin, but they were not going to give

anything away.


	40. Chapters 79 and 80

__Time to check in and see how well Cameron's doing.__

**Chapter 79. I CAN DO THAT**

Cameron finished speaking with Clair and hung up the phone. "What did

you tell Emily?" she asked Gretchen.

"That we were in an accident and my arm was broken and they were

moving you to PPTH. I knew you'd want to call Aunt Clair and tell

her everything yourself so she'd know you were really OK." Sounded like

a pat answer, well rehearsed and giving away nothing.

"Yes, well, she was glad to hear from me directly." But Cameron

wasn't satisfied. And by the looks on their faces, the other adults

weren't either. Gretchen and Tommy just looked like they were up to

something.

"I don't think we'll get anything out of them," Wilson observed.

"We're gonna leave and take your things to House's apartment. House, I

expect you and Gretchen will want to go directly

to the hospital and help Cameron get settled in."

"I hope I don't have to get too settled in, and that I can go home

soon," Cameron said. Everyone was beginning to make her feel so

useless.

"The doctor who was in earlier seemed to be pleased with the speed

of her healing," Cuddy said to encourage her.

"Gretchen, go wash up and change your clothes before you and your

Dad leave," Cameron told her daughter. She could still be a mother.

House had been silent through all of this, still watching Gretchen

and Tommy, not willing to give up on trying to fathom what they

were hiding. But they were being particularly skillful at keeping

quiet. The girl took the clothes he'd brought her and disappeared

into the bathroom.

"The car's probably a total loss," House finally told Cameron. She

nodded. It was what she expected. An orderly and a nurse came in

to get her ready for her flight and everyone left, but not before

Wilson, Cuddy and Tommy said goodbye and Cameron thanked them for

coming, Gretchen hugged her mother goodbye, and House hugged her too,

promising to see her soon in Princeton.

An hour or so later, Cameron was in another hospital bed, this time

at Princeton-Plainsboro. It wasn't long before House and Gretchen

joined her. "What's up doc?" he asked. Cameron smirked. "I always

wanted to say that." He smirked back. "Can I get you anything?"

he asked but before she answered he began fussing with the pillows

and bedding.

She really was getting tired of everyone doing things for her,

waiting on her, making decisions for her.

"Later we'll get the dog and then go back to the apartment and unpack

your things, at least all that there's room for," House told her. "On

Monday I'll enroll Gretchen at school and call the insurance

company." He seemed to be ticking off items on his to-do list,

assuming responsibility for his family in a big way.

"House, will you stop it!" Cameron finally shouted. "This isn't like you. Besides, I am not a child and I'm not an invalid. OK, well maybe I am an invalid. But I can still call my own damn insurance company! Stop being

a mother hen."

"What about the house?" he asked, choosing to ignore her outburst.

"What about it?" Cameron didn't follow the change of topic.

"Do we buy it? Have the kitchen redone and then move?" he asked,

watching for her expression when she answered.

But instead of answering his question she continued to rant.

"Next you'll be telling me what I should wear for my first day

at work," she said sarcastically.

"Well, you can skip the vest. That look is sooo last decade." He

rolled his eyes.

Cameron had to laugh and cry out, "Uncle!" She suddenly calmed down and

shook her head. "I know I should never get in the way of a House

steamrolling."

Gretchen had been watching the exchange with a look of dismay until

her mother laughed. House turned to her. "Better get used to

it Kiddo." He was smiling.

"I thought you two were fighting," the girl said, a worried frown

still evident on her face.

"We were just...sparring," her father said. But he was beginning to

realize that he'd have to watch himself in front of her.

"Sweetie, I was just feeling frustrated," her mother tried to explain.

"OK, I'll call the insurance company, House, you take care of

everything else. Yes to the house, and what was the last thing? Oh,

yeah, I'll take the 'no vest' under advisement." Cameron said with

a smile. She knew she couldn't stay angry at House for long, not when

he could made her laugh without really trying. "Look, I'm fine here.

Go pick up the dog and go home and get some sleep."

"Now who's giving orders?" House asked, but she could tell he wasn't

annoyed at all.

House and Gretchen each kissed Cameron goodbye and promised to return

on Sunday.

**Chapter 80. WHAT'S GOING ON?**

Gretchen got up early the next morning, pulled on jeans and a t-shirt

and took Junior for a walk. She didn't go far. When she returned,

House was still asleep. She fed the dog, drank some orange juice,

and started the coffee for her Dad, then went to the bathroom for

her shower.

When she came out, she straightened the couch she'd been sleeping on,

then glanced at the closed bedroom door. OK. Time for the first part

of The Plan. She took out her phone, then placed the puppy in the

center of the living room floor.

"OK, Junior. Look cute," she ordered.

The dog seemed to give her a quizzical look with his sad eyes. She

snapped a picture, then gave the Basset one of his toys. She watched

him sniff at it, then grab it with his teeth. Soon she was smiling

and taking more shots. She didn't notice when House limped in

quietly, then went into the kitchen for a cup of coffee before

returning to watch his daughter and her puppy.

"What are you doing?" he asked after a while.

She jumped. "What? Oh, Dad! I'm, uh, I thought I'd take some

pictures of Junior to take to Mom." She smiled at her quick thinking,

but there was a slight hint of a question in her statement.

"Oh" House said, not sounding convinced. She decided she had to do

better.

"Why don't you sit on the couch and hold Junior. I

can take a picture of the two of you. I know Mom will love that."

He complied, wondering what was really going on. "Now one of YOU with

Junior," House said, getting up, just to see what she'd say.

But she seemed fine with the idea, and he took the picture.

After a breakfast of cereal (their mutual favorite Cap'n Crunch),

House showered and dressed. They were getting ready to leave for the

hospital when House looked at Gretchen. "Where are the pictures?"

he asked.

"Pictures?" She suddenly realized what he meant. Think, Gretchen, she

told herself. Then she smiled. "I thought we'd download them and

print them in your office at the hospital," she said. "Much better

picture quality than your home printer."

He narrowed his piercing eyes, thinking 'good save, Kiddo'. But he

was bound and determined to get to the bottom of this.

Cameron was picking at her breakfast. She'd have to talk to Cuddy,

or maybe the dietician Mrs. McGinley about what passed for breakfast

in the hospital. Maybe Wilson should give them his recipes. Nah, he'd

never do that.

A nurse came in to check on her. "You've hardly touched your

eggs," she admonished as only nurses can.

"You call these eggs?" Cameron asked, then realized who she was

beginning to sound like. "You know they're really not very good."

She'd softened her voice.

A doctor she'd never seen before slid the door open and walked over

to them. The nurse silently handed him the electronic file for

Cameron. He scanned through the data. "Well, Mrs. Cameron. I see you

were in a car accident but seem to be recovering."

"That's Dr. Cameron, Dr. ...?"

"Oh, I'm Dr. Hirsch." He looked at her and then back to the file.

"Well, let's see." He began to examine her face, and then her

incision, just as the resident at the Medical Center had done, only

not as deferentially.

Chase tapped on the open door. "Hope I'm not intruding."

Hirsch had finished his exam. He looked at the Intensivist, wondering

why the head of the hospital ER was coming to see his patient. She'd come through the ER at Elizabeth and was transferred to PPTH, according to her file.

"Just wanted to visit before I head home," he explained to Hirsch.

He'd spent the night working because one of the doctors who usually

covered the always busy Saturday night shift had gone home sick.

"How're you feeling, Cameron?" Chase asked.

"Much better than yesterday," she replied, smiling at her former

colleague. "I probably look better than you right now. Rough night?"

"You can say that again," he told her. "Must have been the weekend for

car accidents."

"So, Dr. Hirsch, do you think I can go home soon?" Cameron asked.

"Probably tomorrow," he said cautiously. Her vitals were all good

and she was healing remarkably quickly. And it was apparent that

she was anxious to leave.

Just then Gretchen bounced in. "Hi Mom! How are you today?"

"Great now that you're here!" her mother said. "Where's your Dad?"

"He went to check on Jared's father. He'll be here soon," the girl

said. She handed Cameron the prints she'd just made. "These are for

you."

"I knew that dog was cute," Chase said, looking at the pictures in

Cameron's hands.

Gretchen was happy to hear he thought so. "Hi Dr. Chase," she said.

"Junior's a wonderful puppy, and VERY photogenic, don't you think?"

"Dr. Hirsch said I could go home tomorrow, Sweetie. Isn't that

great?" Cameron asked.

"Really?" Gretchen asked the unfamiliar doctor.

"I don't see why not," he said.

"Outrageous!"

"What's outrageous?" House asked as he came in.

"Mom can come home tomorrow," Gretchen told him. "Dr. Hirsch said so."

House just smiled and nodded.

Who IS this patient? Dr. Hirsch wondered.


	41. Chapters 81 and 82

__In which Cameron goes home and Gretchen has her first day at her new school.__

**Chapter 81. LITTLE WHITE LIES**

Before he normally awoke on Monday morning, House found himself with

Gretchen in the office of the principal of Tommy Wilson's school,

explaining that, although they hadn't yet moved to the school

district, he was enrolling his daughter.

"We really don't want Gretchen to change schools again after this."

He handed over a disk with Gretchen's school records

from Albany. He hoped the fact that she was an excellent student

would be useful. "We'll be moving soon." He didn't say that they

hadn't even gotten a mortgage on the 'Pink House' yet.

Gretchen watched her father intently as he skillfully wove truths

and half-truths into a plausible case. It made her feel a little

less guilty about 'fibbing' to her parents about the pictures of

Junior. She wasn't at all surprised when the principal, Mr. Manley,

bought the whole thing.

Soon her Dad was gone and the principal himself walked her to her

new classroom. The other children were just arriving. Mr. Manley

introduced Gretchen to the teacher, Mrs. Bean. They couldn't realize

that Gretchen was smiling because she knew this was Tommy's class.

Mrs. Bean wasn't any taller than Gretchen, certainly less than five

feet tall, with brown hair and brown eyes, and a welcoming smile.

"Hi, Gretchen" she said, then called the class to order. "Children,

this is Gretchen. She'll be joining our class today. Gretchen, why don't you take the seat next to Audra. She can help you meet everyone and show you where we are in our lessons."

The teacher had indicated an empty desk halfway down the left side

of the room. As she walked to her seat, Gretchen scanned the room for

Tommy, but she didn't see him. Maybe she was wrong, and this wasn't

his class. But there couldn't be two Mrs. Beans, could there?

She became even more concerned when she noticed that Audra, a girl

with long reddish-blond hair and eyes almost as blue as her own, was

giving her the once-over. But then Tommy and another boy rushed in

and she relaxed a little.

"Sorry we're late, Mrs. Bean," Tommy said.

"Mr. Cartwright asked us to help with the first-graders," the other

boy, who looked Asian, said.

"That's OK" the teacher told them.

Then Tommy caught sight of Gretchen, and he called out her name, his

face lighting up.

"You know our new student?" Mrs. Bean asked him.

"Gretchen's one of my best friends." Tommy beamed

"Good, then you can also help her get settled into class."

Gretchen saw Audra roll her eyes. Was she going to be another

Meredith? She'd have to ask Tommy about their classmate.

But meanwhile Mrs. Bean was starting a math lesson and she needed to

pay attention to see if they were ahead or behind her class in

Albany. She was pleased to see they were doing the same kind of

algebra problems she was used to, and she relaxed some more.

House rushed into Cameron's hospital room where she'd just finished

getting dressed. It had been a slow process, and she was beginning

to realize how many aches she still had, but she was able to do it

herself.

"OK, all your paperwork is done. You ready?"

"Yeah, just let me collect these pictures." She gathered up the

pictures of the dog alone, with House, and with Gretchen.

"The Squirt's up to something." House watched her and indicated

the photos.

"What do you mean?"

"She took those pictures for some other reason. I don't mean she

didn't want to bring them to you, but there was another motive."

"Do you think it has something to do with what she and Tommy were

keeping mum about on Saturday?" she asked.

"No doubt. But what? I've been trying to think about what she might

be after. What does she want?" House asked.

"Well, she's made it clear what she wants now that she has the dog

she asked for. She wants a brother or sister."

"That's not it." House sounded very certain.

"How can you be sure?"

"Well, we won't find out hanging around here. C'mon, let's go home."

He gathered up her belongings, and made her sit in the obligatory

wheelchair to take her out to the car. "Maybe Junior will tell us."

**Chapter 82. HOME SWEET HOME**

They walked into the apartment and all Cameron could think was

'home at last'. But even the short walk from the car was about as

much as she could handle for now. She plopped down on the couch.

Junior was in his crate nearby. He looked at her pleadingly, so she

smiled and reached over to let him out. He just sat there staring

up at her.

"What can I get you?" House headed for the kitchen. "Coffee?

Water?" he called over his shoulder.

She sighed. "No, nothing now."

He returned with a beer. "You can stretch out there or maybe in

the bed."

"House, I'm fine just sitting here for now."

He picked up the dog and sat down next to her.

"You were planning on asking him what Gretchen was up to," Cameron

reminded him.

"Yeah! Like he's gonna tell." He scratched the top of the dog's

head. "He knows how to keep secrets, don't you Junior?"

Junior answered with a 'yip'.

House leaned back and said, "I called the insurance company. They'll

send someone out to look at the car today. You're gonna need a new

one, you know."

Her eyes narrowed. "I thought I was going to make that call." She sighed. "We'll probably need something pretty big."

House raised one eyebrow.

"Your Corvette's too small for the three of us and the dog."

But they were both thinking about other reasons they might need

a larger car. He put the dog down on the floor and put an arm

around her. She rested her head against him, then snuggled closer.

He began stroking her hair, planting little kisses on her forehead,

cheeks and lips. She practically purred. After a few minutes she

said, "I want you to make love to me."

"Are you sure?" There was concern in his voice.

"Yes. It's more than the human need after a disaster to confirm

that you're still alive. More than wanting the endorphins in place

of painkillers. Yes, Greg. I'm sure." She looked at him.

He rose from the couch, supported himself with his cane, held

out his left hand to help her up, and led her into the bedroom.

He gently helped her undress, watching for any signs of discomfort.

"Relax. I've got less pain than you deal with on a daily basis."

He smirked, then he removed her lacy bra and panties, unmistakable

admiration in his eyes. Their lovemaking was gentle and slow, but

very satisfying for both of them.

As he held her afterward, she said "I had a lot of time to think

when I was in the hospital. About my hesitation for us to try to

be together. About the fears I had that we would hurt each other

and how that would hurt Gretchen." She traced his mouth with her

finger. "I should have been more determined to make sure that

didn't happen, should've had more faith in our love for each

other."

He shook his head. "You were only going on what you knew. Did I

ever give you reason to believe...in us? All I ever did was tell

you over and over why it could never, would never happen. I was

the one who was wrong."

She stared at him. Gregory House admitting he was wrong about

something? True, it happened, but it was rare. She kissed his lips

and then snuggled against him again.

He sighed. "Much as I'd like to stay right here, I've gotta go get

the Squirt soon."

"I'll come with you." She started to get up.

"Are you sure?"

"Are you going to ask me that every time I offer to do anything?"

It was a rhetorical question, but he had to tell her "Caring about

someone else is a new experience for me. I kinda like it."

"Just don't overdo it," she warned, then suggested, "We can drive by

the house again after we get her."

"So Audra's not like Meredith?" Gretchen and Tommy were talking as they walked

out of the school with the other children.

"Who?" Tommy asked.

"Meredith, remember? Em and I told you about her? The one who tries

to lord it over everyone and bullies everyone in my old school?"

Tommy nodded. "I remember. No, Audra's just unfriendly. She never

talks to anyone or plays with anyone. I think she's smart, 'cause

she usually knows the answers when Mrs. Bean calls on her. But she

keeps to herself."

Gretchen nodded, thinking this over. Then she shouted, "Oh, there's

my Dad's Corvette."

The two of them walked to the curb where House and Cameron were

parked.

"Hi Uncle Greg, Aunt Allie" Tommy said, obviously glad to see

them, especially Cameron. "Gretchen said you'd be coming home from

the hospital today. Guess you're feeling better."

"Hi Tommy." Cameron opened the door for Gretchen.

The girl squeezed in next to her mother and told her friend, "See

you tomorrow, and maybe I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Slugger," House told the boy. "Better go get your school bus."

"Tell your Mom and Dad we said Hi," Cameron added. She hadn't had a

chance to see Wilson or Cuddy before she left the hospital.

As they drove off, Gretchen told her parents some news. "Tommy's

Dad is taking him to get his dog today."

"Will he be taking tons of pictures of him too?" House asked

nonchalantly, wondering how she'd respond.

Gretchen knew Tommy would. It was part of The Plan. But how did

her father know that? "Guess so." She shrugged and tried to

match House's nonchalance.

House and Cameron exchanged glances but let it drop.

"Where are we going?" Gretchen asked, since they weren't taking the

route home she had expected.

"We wanted to drive by the house before we go home," her mother

answered.

They found Cherry Tree Lane again, but when they got to the Pink

House, they saw two cars in the driveway, one with the HouseSellers

logo on the front doors, and the other a family bus. Just then, a

man and woman with three small children walked out the front door,

followed by a middle-aged woman who locked up.

As House, Cameron and Gretchen drove away, Gretchen whined, "But

that's OUR house."

"I thought the sellers accepted our offer," Cameron said. She

suddenly realized how much they all wanted the house.

"Yes, they did." House looked and sounded worried. What was

going on here? "I'll call the real estate agent. There's gotta be

an explanation."


	42. Chapters 83 and 84

__Apologies! I intended to post this last night, but by the time we got home from our book club, I was too tired to even turn on the computer.__

**Chapter 83. Little Boxes**

Cameron was examining the remaining packed boxes when House called

from his office the next morning.

"Hi. I just wanted to let you know that I finally talked to the real estate person."

"What did she say?"

"Until we get a mortgage and go to contract, the house can stay on

the market," he told her.

"So, what's taking so long on the mortgage?"

He wasn't sure how to tell her. "You know all the lawsuits against

me? They have to make sure there aren't any outstanding."

"And?"

"And then there's the fact that you haven't started your new job."

He hastened to add, "I told her to have the bank check

with the hospital. That you already have a firm contract and will

be starting on Monday."

"So it should be OK?" She couldn't hide the anxiety in her voice.

"Yeah, I think so. The other good news is that the people who were

looking at the house yesterday decided it was too small for their

growing family. And they thought the kitchen was too pink."

"Imagine that," she said, finally smiling.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"OK," she said, but she sounded distracted. "I've been going through

the boxes you didn't unpack. Greg, did you see a box with a

stethoscope on top? The one my friends from Albany gave me?"

"I don't remember unpacking that."

"It also had my little whiteboard, the one you gave me, and some

framed photos of Gretchen and one of the two of you playing the

piano." She was beginning to sound upset.

"No, I definitely didn't see it. You sure the movers didn't take it on the truck?"

"No, I distinctly remember putting it in the car."

"Wilson and I took all of the boxes from the trunk," he told her.

She thought a minute. "It wasn't in the trunk. I remember putting it

in the back of the car."

"The only thing I saw in the back was Gretchen's pouch."

"You're sure?"

"Yes." Now he was frowning. "Maybe it was pushed under the seat. After

I pick up Gretchen from school, we'll go back to the collision place and

look for it." He couldn't think of any other solution.

"I want to go with you," she practically demanded.

He started to say 'are you sure' again, but stopped himself. Then

he thought _she doesn't trust me to get it myself,_ but he knew that

wasn't the case. "OK, I'll pick you up before I go to get Gretchen."

"I'll be ready. Thanks, Greg." She was finally getting used to a

House who was more than willing to agree with her.

House knocked on Wilson's door and walked in without waiting for an

answer, since there was obviously no patient with the Oncologist.

"Get your pooch?" House asked his friend.

"Yes." Wilson grimaced. "You know you've really started something

here."

House just shrugged.

"We had three to choose from - the two other Bassets you and Gretchen

saw and one from the same litter that had been brought back. Some

woman who decided she was allergic."

"To a Basset?" House was skeptical.

"Hey, I only know what the dog lady said" Wilson held his hands up

in defense.

"A kid should have a dog." House had always wanted one himself, and he wasn't going to deny his kid the things he never had.

Wilson looked surprised at his friend. "Well, if Tommy learns some

responsibility out of all this, it's worth it." He thought about

how his son was already taking care of the puppy, walking it, feeding

it and taking pictures of it. "He took the male you saw and named it

Albert, for some reason." He looked at House intently and asked

"Do you think Lisa and I are overprotective?"

"I'm beginning to think we can't be too protective of our kids."

When House arrived to pick her up just before three Cameron was ready as promised in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair in a ponytail.

"Guess we're tearing you away from General Hospital," she said.

"There ARE some things more important," he replied. "Not many. But

picking my daughter up from school is right up there."

She smiled at him and put her arm through his as they walked to the

Corvette. They drove towards the school and House told Cameron about

Tommy's dog.

"Did he take pictures, too, like Gretchen?" she wanted to know.

"Yeah." He grinned and sounded like he'd figured out the children's

plan.

"I think I have to call Clair," she said. Obviously she had too. "I

just wonder whether we should do something."

"Nah, it's harmless. Let them have their little plan."

"Well, I'm still calling Clair" she stated again, but saw his

disapproval, so she amended. "Not to tell her or warn her. Just to

see if it's working."

He began to smile again.

**Chapter 84. SEARCHIN' (EVERY WHICH WAY)**

Cameron pulled out her phone as they drove towards the school and

called her friend.

"Allison!" Clair greeted her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing fine" Cameron replied. "We're on our way to pick up

Gretchen from her school."

"How does she like it?" Clair asked.

"She likes it so far, but I think she misses Emily."

"Yeah, I know. The two of them and Tommy are on the phone with each

other every chance they get. I understand that Tommy

has a dog, too, now. Emily has our refrigerator plastered with

photos they've sent."

"Cute dogs," Cameron commented, rolling her eyes at House, who was

listening to her side of the conversation as he drove.

"Yes, I have to admit... She's also got pictures all over her room

and is using one as a screensaver. Think she's trying to tell me

something?"

Cameron chuckled. "No doubt. So, how are things at the hospital?"

"Don't ask! You and I aren't the only ones leaving, and it's making

it harder for those that remain. Even the board is beginning to take

notice."

"Maybe they'll finally do something about McGreedy!" Cameron said.

"I hope so. I really feel badly about leaving the other staff, but

it'll be such a pleasure working at PPTH instead."

"So when are you planning on moving?"

"In four or five weeks," Clair replied. "I guess we'll have to drive

down one weekend to look for a place to live."

"Let us know when you're coming."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll know." It was Clair's turn to chuckle.

"Well, we're almost at the school. I'll talk to you again. Bye!"

"Bye Allison, glad to hear you're doing well."

Once Cameron closed the connection she told House, "Emily has been

plastering their place with the pictures, just as we thought."

"So now we know for certain what the pictures were for. But I'm sure

there's more to the plan."

"Knowing Gretchen, I'm sure there is."

As they drove up to the school, they saw Gretchen waiting for them,

this time talking to a girl with long reddish-blond hair. Gretchen

waved goodbye to the girl and smiled. The girl scowled as Gretchen

got into the Corvette.

"Mom, how are you feeling? Did Junior behave while I was at school?

Where are we going? Is everything OK with the house?" The questions

came tumbling out and Cameron had to laugh.

"I'm fine. Junior's fine. And everything will probably be fine with

the house," she replied. "Was that one of your new school friends?

I didn't see Tommy."

"That was Audra. And Tommy's at chess club. I was thinking about

joining too," the girl said. "But you didn't say where we're going."

House explained about the missing box. By the time he'd finished

they pulled into Gonzalez Collision and Repair in Elizabeth. They

parked in front of the office and went in. A young man, tall and

blond, asked, "Can I help you?"

House took the lead. "I was here this weekend to pick up the contents

of one of the cars involved in the big accident on I95 Friday night."

"Yes?"

"We think there's still one box of items in the car," Cameron said,

rather impatiently.

"Didn't you already sign that you had everything?" the man asked

House.

"Yes I did," he admitted. "But that was everything in the trunk. This

box was inside the car. May've been pushed under one of the front

seats by the accident."

"Well, I don't know. Which car was it? What name did you say?"

"It was a Ford Phoenix, New York plates. We didn't say, but the name's

Cameron."

The man turned to a file cabinet and opened the top drawer. He

began to look through the files.

"Where's Gonzalez?" House asked. He'd liked the older man and was

sure he'd be more helpful than the young man.

"You mean the owner? He's out back." He continued to look for the

paperwork.

"Don't you have all this on your computer?" Gretchen asked.

He stared at the child, like he'd just noticed she was there. "The

information from the weekend hasn't been keyed in yet."

She seemed satisfied with the answer, but began to look around the

office.

A thirty-something Hispanic man entered the office from the back

door, and the blond man breathed a sigh of relief as if to say let the boss deal

with this.

"What seems to be the problem Lenny?" Lenny's unease hadn't gone

unnoticed by his boss.

"They're here about one of the cars from the accident Friday night.

Only they've already signed for the contents. I wasn't sure what to

do Mr. Gonzalez."

This was obviously not the Gonzalez that House and Wilson had met on

Saturday. He turned to House and said, "I'm Hector Gonzalez, how can

I help you?"

They explained the situation again, as patiently as possible.

"Where's the other Mr. Gonzalez?" House asked. This time his memory

for names didn't fail him. "Miguel?"

"Oh!" Hector began to smile through his thick black mustache. "You

mean my uncle. He came in to help Friday night because there were so

many vehicles."

"He was here Saturday when I came to empty Dr. Cameron's car," House

told him. "Helped me unload the trunk."

Lenny had finally found the file folder and looked through it. "The

insurance inspector was here yesterday. He released the car as

totaled. I'm afraid it may have already gone to the junkyard."

"Oh, no!" Cameron exclaimed. Tears began to fill her eyes and House

automatically pulled her into a hug.

"Where do they take the cars?" House asked over Cameron's head. He

was beginning to grasp at straws.

"There's a wrecking yard about two miles down the road," Hector said.

Gretchen frowned as she looked at them all, but suddenly her

expression changed. "Mom, didn't you use that funny blue tape on all

the boxes?" she asked.

A muffled 'yes' from Cameron who had her face pressed into House's

chest.

"Is that it?" she asked, pointing to a box in a corner of the office.

Cameron pulled her head up and looked at where she was pointing. She

let go of House and walked over to the box, then smiled. "Yes!"

There was a note taped to the top of the box. 'Hold for Allison

Cameron or Gregory House. Miguel'.

"I never noticed that" Lenny said.

"That's OK, kid. Neither did I," his boss told him.

Cameron turned her smile on Gretchen. "Thank you, Sweetheart!"

They loaded the box in the trunk of the Corvette, said goodbye to

the two men. "Please tell your uncle how much we appreciate this,"

Cameron told Hector.

As they headed home, Cameron said again, "Gretchen, that was truly

wonderful. Thank you."

"I'm glad we found it," Gretchen responded. "I love you Mom."

"I love you too, Sweetie."

"Awww!" House said, mockingly. "Can we get this love fest over with?

I'm hungry."

Cameron smirked. "We love you too, Greg."

"Yes, we do" Gretchen agreed.

House sighed and finally said, "I love you both too. Now, what are we

gonna eat?"


	43. Chapters 85 and 86

__Two more chapters for you reading pleasure. Let me know what you think.__

**Chapter 85. TODAY'S THE FIRST DAY**

House drove Cameron to the hospital for her first day after taking

Gretchen to school on Monday morning. Several people greeted the

returning Immunologist before she even reached the elevators, but

many more were new since she'd worked there before.

The Infectious Disease department was on the second floor. As she

left the elevator, House reminded her, "Meet me in the cafeteria for

lunch at noon." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss goodbye.

When she reached Taylor's office, it seemed to be filled with

doctors. Probably the entire department was waiting to meet their

new colleague. Taylor introduced her to everyone: Russell Davidson,

his fair-haired boy (literally), whom he'd called 'one of his best

people' when she'd seen Taylor a few weeks before, Yoon Cho, a very

formal-looking Korean gentleman whose age was as indeterminate as

many Orientals, Nancy Lloyd, a woman with dark blond hair in a messy

chignon and a quick smile, Arthur Billings, a short fortyish man with

graying hair and mustache, and Akiko Tanaka, a young and slim

Japanese woman of medium height.

"You're the Allison Cameron who's done so much work on the Brazilian

flu," Tanaka said. Cameron couldn't tell if that was a compliment or

accusation since her expression was neutral, but the woman went on

with something like awe in her voice. "Great work!"

Everyone but Davidson nodded in agreement. All he said was, "You

suggested to Dr. Taylor that we increase the dosage when your

protocol doesn't work." Definitely an accusation.

"The virus seems to be developing a resistance to Acofloxacin,"

Cameron said, anticipating him telling her that even increased

dosages weren't working. "I think it's time to find a new antibiotic.

Merck-Pfizer just came out with a new one that may be promising,

Stratamycin."

"Have you used it?" Billings asked.

"Not yet," Cameron said, shaking her head.

"We currently have three patients with confirmed cases," he went on.

"Guess we can try it. I'll check whether we have any."

"I think one of the drug reps left some last week," Taylor said. He

walked to a cabinet in his office and began rummaging through a

drawer filled with samples. He pulled out some of Stratamycin.

Cameron spent the morning visiting patients with one or another of

her new colleagues. She was impressed by Tanaka's thoroughness,

Billings extensive knowledge of diseases and antibiotics, and Cho's

bedside manner, at once dignified and friendly. Lloyd was very

competent, but the least decisive of the group, as if she doubted

her own abilities. Davidson seemed to have attached himself to

Cameron. She couldn't tell whether he wanted to imitate her or catch

her in a mistake, but just before noon he asked her to have lunch

with him.

"I'm sorry," she said, although she knew it wasn't exactly the truth,

the 'sorry' part that is. "I've already made lunch plans."

"I can at least accompany you to the cafeteria, show you where it

is," he insisted.

She replied, "I know where it is. I used to work here."

And in fact, as they made their way, more people greeted her than

him. When they reached the cafeteria she said, "Well, I guess I'll

see you later," and she made a beeline to the table where Drs. Cuddy,

Wilson and House were already seated.

Davidson frowned, then got his lunch and found a table to sit by

himself, watching his new colleague eat, chat and laugh with the

PPTH Administrator and the heads of two departments, wondering what

they were talking about.

"Just got a call about the Pink Palace," House told Cameron as she

sat down. "We got the mortgage."

"The house in our neighborhood with the pink kitchen?" Cuddy asked.

"Yeah. We close on Friday."

"So soon?" Cameron suddenly felt panic, then thought about it. "Good.

The sooner the better."

"What're you doing about the kitchen?" Wilson asked.

"We're having it remodeled before we move in," Cameron said. "Guess

we have to find a kitchen contractor."

"We had some work done over a year ago," Cuddy said. "I'll give you

the name of the people who did it."

"Oh, I love your kitchen! Greg, what do you think?"

"Guess we can talk to them." He shrugged.

"Well, you don't have to be so hyper about it," Cameron said,

sarcastically.

"I just hope it's a simple, fast job and doesn't cost an arm and a

leg. I've only got three good ones."

Cameron decided it was time to change the subject. "How's Tommy doing

with Albert?"

"Great! I'm really amazed," the boy's mother said.

"He hasn't taken any more pictures, though."

"I think that part of the plan is over," House said, but Wilson and

Cuddy raised their eyebrows.

That afternoon, as she worked with the other doctors in the

department, Cameron found out that Billings was a widower with a

teenage son, Cho and his wife were expecting their first child in

February, and Tanaka had only recently joined the department.

Davidson was quite a ladies man (this she learned from two of the

nurses assigned to the department who warned her to stay away from

him). And Lloyd had a wicked sense of humor and baked 'the best

brownies this side of the Hudson' (according to the same two nurses).

No one said much about the head of the department other than the

fact that he was a good doctor and treated everyone fairly (but

Davidson more 'fairly' than the others, according to, of all people,

Billings).

Cameron thought it would be very interesting indeed to work with

these doctors.

She and House left the hospital at 4:30 to pick up Gretchen, who'd

stayed after school for orchestra practice despite the cast on her

arm. House hadn't said anything but he'd been concerned that

Cameron would be exhausted by her first day back at work. She

surprised him by being tired but not completely drained.

This time, Gretchen was talking to an Asian boy while she waited for

her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Nelson. He just started playing the

viola too. And he's a good friend of Tommy's." Nelson, who was not quite

as tall as Gretchen, was the boy who'd

arrived late with Tommy on Gretchen's first day.

"My Mom should be here soon", Nelson said. "See you tomorrow Gretchen.

Nice to meet you," he told her parents.

"So, where are we going today?" Gretchen asked.

"Who says we have to go somewhere every day?" her father asked.

But Cameron told her "We're going to look for a car."

"What about the house?" Gretchen wanted to know.

"The mortgage was approved," Cameron said.

"Hooray!"

Cameron turned to House. "That'll be ten dollars, Doctor."

"Huh?" Gretchen was confused.

"Your Dad thought you'd say 'outrageous' but I bet on 'hooray'."

"You bet on what I'd say?" But Gretchen knew by now she should have

expected it.

**Chapter 86. ALL I NEED IS A PHOTOGRAPH**

The next morning Cameron took the family bus they'd bought to the hospital.

Gretchen had told her it was 'just like Dana Foreman's'.

She was sharing an office with Nancy Lloyd and was with a desk, computer, office chair, plus a couple of for books. A far cry from her fairly spacious office at ACH.

Determined to make her desk her own, she was placing a picture of Gretchen when Lloyd arrived. "What a beautiful child!" she said. "Yours?...But of course she is. She looks so much like you."

Cameron smiled. "My daughter Gretchen." Then took out the picture of Gretchen and House at the piano. Lloyd took it from her hand and looked at it.

"Davidson's telling everyone that you know Drs. Cuddy,

Wilson and House really well," Lloyd said, waiting for her response.

"I've known them all more than twelve years," Cameron admitted. "I

did a fellowship with House before I left for Albany."

Lloyd put the picture down. "Davidson thinks Cuddy forced Taylor to

hire you."

Cameron wondered whether it was a ploy to find out whether it was

true or whether she was trying to tell her that Davidson was jealous

of her and a rumor-monger to boot.

"What do you think?" Cameron asked her new office-mate.

Lloyd smiled for the first time that morning. "Any hospital would be

lucky to have you. Davidson's an idiot."

Cameron chuckled. "Actually, he's not that wrong. Cuddy asked Taylor

to add me to the department as a favor to me, House, Gretchen and

Tommy."

"Her son?"

"Yes, he and Gretchen became good friends last summer while she was

staying with House."

As Cameron continued to unpack her box, Lloyd took another look at

the picture and smiled. Then, abruptly, she said, "Guess it's time

for rounds." She was looking forward to watching Cameron go head to

head with Davidson. She was certain that her new colleague was up

to the challenge.

House had never had any pictures on his desk, but one suddenly

appeared, taking a place of honor next to his grey and red tennis

ball.

"What a cute dog!" Sullivan exclaimed when she saw it.

"Are you calling my daughter a dog?" House asked in mock anger.

His Fellow just laughed. "No, although Gretchen's cute, too, of

course. I meant the Basset."

"I should hope that's what you meant." House appeared to be placated.

"That's the dog Chase has been talking about, isn't it?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Harvey's ready to be discharged" she said to change the subject.

"You'll just have to sign these paper's." She handed him Jared's

father's discharge papers, the original reason she'd entered his

inner sanctum. "The dietician has discussed his restrictions with

his wife."

House took the papers and quickly signed them, then handed them back.

But Sully didn't move. "Was there something else?"

"Yeah, where'd you get the dog?" she asked.

Gretchen was finding that Tommy was right about Mrs. Bean. She was

a wonderful teacher. They'd been studying the Revolutionary War

in history and today Mrs. Bean was talking about Washington crossing

the Delaware River.

"I'm sure many of you have done that, crossed the Delaware I mean.

Who has?" she asked.

More than half the class raised their hands.

"Of course, you were probably in a car or other vehicle and actually

crossed OVER the river."

They nodded in agreement.

"Anyone cross it in a boat?" she asked. But no one had.

Monique Jackson, a black girl with a very pretty face who was always

fashionably dressed, raised her hand.

"Yes, Monique?"

"The water in the river was moving very quickly where we drove over

it."

"Yes, it is usually a quickly moving river," Mrs. Bean said. She then

held up a large copy of the famous painting of Washington's crossing.

"Have you ever been in a row boat?" she asked the students.

A few had. Suddenly something else occurred to them. Nelson raised

his hand this time, and the teacher indicated he could speak.

"You have to sit and they tell you to wear a life jacket, but he's

standing. How come he didn't fall out of the boat?" the boy asked.

"Good question!" Mrs. Bean said.

"But it's just a painting, not a photograph," Gretchen said when Mrs.

Bean called on her. "Maybe he wasn't standing at all."

"Yes, maybe the artist just painted it that way because it looked

better," Tommy added.

"Or maybe he was standing and fell off the boat, only no one ever

told," another boy, David, said.

Everyone laughed.

"So, what does this tell us?" Mrs. Bean asked.

"Everybody lies," Gretchen said.

Most of the children laughed again.

"The father of our country couldn't tell a lie," Nathan, a thin and

very serious boy with large glasses, stated.

"I think Gretchen means the artist lied," Audra said.

"Hmmm," Mrs. Bean said. "Is it a lie when an artist paints something

that isn't literally the truth, just represents it?"

"I think they call that 'artistic license'" Tommy said.

"Very good, Tommy," Mrs. Bean said, and the boy beamed.


	44. Chapters 87 and 88

__Here are the last two chapters before we leave. I'll try to post on a regular basis while we're traveling, but no promises.__

**Chapter 87. SINK THE PINK**

Early Wednesday evening, Cameron, House and Gretchen drove up to the

pink house to meet the real estate agent and the kitchen contractor.

A pretty young Indian woman was just leaving the house next door

and waved in a friendly fashion. She started to get into her car,

then stopped and came over, smiling at them all.

"Didn't I see you here a few weeks ago, looking at the house?" she

asked, indicating the pink house.

"We're gonna buy it." Gretchen smiled back.

"That's great! I never thought anyone would", she said. "You're not

going to leave the kitchen the way it is, are you?" she asked, but

then she added "I mean it's so...so...PINK! I mean I like pink as much

as anyone but every time I was in that kitchen I felt like the paper

cone inside cotton candy."

House watched her, fascinated. Actually, he couldn't have described

it better himself.

"No, we plan on changing it. I'm Allison Cameron and

this is my daughter, Gretchen. And this is..."

"House," the man said.

The young woman looked at him with confusion clear in her eyes.

"He means his name is House," Gretchen explained.

"Oh, I'm Nita Nayar. Guess we'll be neighbors, since I live next

door and all. With my parents and brother." She probably would have

gone on, adding more and more bits of

information, but the realtor and contractor, Rudy Hathaway, drove up.

"Well, I'll be seeing you," Nita said. "Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Bye, Nita," Gretchen said, and Cameron echoed, "Bye."

House, Cameron and Gretchen followed the real estate agent and the

kitchen contractor into the house. Although they'd told him

about the pink kitchen, it hadn't quite prepared Rudy for the reality.

"I've seen all sorts of kitchens in my time." He shook his

head over and over. "But this is unbelievable."

The kitchen was actually large enough for them all to wander around,

looking at what was there.

"I guess we can just change the panels on the refrigerator and the

dishwasher," Cameron suggested. "Maybe with wood or stainless?"

Rudy nodded, continuing to look around. "That's definitely

the easiest part of it."

"Why do we even need a kitchen at all?" House asked. "I'd be happy

with just some vending machines."

"And where are we going to put take-out leftovers?" Cameron asked.

"We need a refrigerator for leftovers, and also a microwave to heat

things up," Gretchen pointed out.

House shrugged the latter off. "OK we need a refrigerator, but most

leftovers are better cold, anyway."

Gretchen laughed. "Yeah, I really like cold pizza."

"Then I guess you're not interested in a high end stove," Rudy

surmised.

"Hmmm, a sink with instant boiling water for tea would be nice,"

Cameron requested.

House considered that before saying, "Sure, why not?"

"Can we have light blue counters?" Gretchen asked.

The realtor was watching House, Cameron and Gretchen with dismay,

but the contractor seemed to take it all in stride. He'd dealt with

many clients over the years and had noticed trends to and from

minimalist kitchens in the many years he'd been designing and

remodeling them.

"Table and chairs or an island with a counter and stools?" Rudy now

asked.

"I'd like a booth, like they have in restaurants," Gretchen said.

Rudy was beginning to understand the democratic dynamics of this

family. The child had a say equal to her parents, who in response

to her latest suggestion simultaneously said, "Why not?"

"When can you meet me at my showroom to pick out counter materials,

cabinets and flooring?" Rudy asked.

"Friday evening or Saturday afternoon?" Cameron suggested a little

tentatively.

"Saturday at two will work," Rudy said, shaking hands with Cameron

and House. When Gretchen held hers out, too, he smiled and shook it.

**Chapter 88. WE'LL BE FRIENDS FOREVER**

After rounds on Thursday, Cameron called Clair. She hadn't talked to

her friend in a few days and had lots to tell her, especially about

the house. And she wanted to find out what else Emily was doing to

convince her mother to get a Basset.

"Allison, we must be on the same wavelength. I was just about to

call you!"

"How are you and Emily?"

"We're fine. We'll be driving down on Saturday to look for a place

to live, and with the Columbus day holiday, we'll be staying until

Monday," Clair told her.

"That's great!" Cameron would be happy to see them again and she knew

that Gretchen would be just as happy to see Emily. "We got the

mortgage on the house we told you about and we'll be closing on

Friday."

"I wish we could afford a house in your neighborhood, or at least

the same school district. Emily's still upset enough

that she doesn't have a dog like Gretchen and Tommy. She'll be very

disappointed if she doesn't go to the same school."

"Maybe there are houses near us that would be right for you,"

Cameron said thoughtfully. "I'll check with our realtor. I'm sure

she'd be happy to show you houses in your price range."

"Thanks!" Clair said. "What are you doing about the kitchen in

your house?"

"We met with a kitchen contractor yesterday and we're getting some

great ideas. We'll see him again Saturday afternoon to look at

counter tops and cabinets. So, Emily still wants a dog?"

"Well, she's taken down the puppy pictures, but I know she still

wants one," Clair said. "I kinda miss seeing all those cute pictures

all over our place," she added, somewhat wistfully.

"Just wait until you meet the real thing," Cameron said, chuckling and

beginning to get a hint of the second phase of Operation Puppy.

"So, we'll see you this weekend."

"We'll let you know when we get there," Clair said. "Bye!"

"Got a minute?" Wilson asked, poking his head through House's open

doorway. House, as was often the case, was leaning back in his chair,

listening to music with his eyes closed.

The lids lifted, revealing his piercing blue eyes. "Busy here," he

said and promptly closed them again.

But Wilson wasn't going to accept that and go away quietly. Not this

time. He tried again, more insistently. "I've gotta talk to you."

This time House's eyes opened and stayed that way. He studied his

friend intently. "It's not a patient."

"How do you know?" Wilson asked.

"You don't have a file in your hand, and you don't have that hang-dog

look, kinda like Junior and probably Albert. You look more grim than

sad."

"I guess I am," Wilson admitted.

"So?"

"It's Marty," Wilson said with a sigh.

"I thought he was doing OK."

"Well, he is. But the longer he does, the more I'm sure we're in for

a big fall when he messes up." Wilson was very pessimistic.

House narrowed his eyes. "You haven't told him that, have you?

Because that would guarantee that he'd mess up."

"I haven't said anything."

"Good," House said. "He needs to know that you have faith in him."

"But what if I don't?"

House nodded. "You may never have complete faith in him, but you

have to at least act like you do." He thought a bit. "Make him feel

wanted, needed. I think I would have fallen apart when Gretchen and

Allison were in the car accident if I hadn't realized how much they

both needed me. I could have easily just retreated behind my walls.

But I didn't. Give your brother a purpose, something he can focus on

besides himself."

Wilson considered what House said, and realized he was glad he'd come

to his friend to talk this through. Then he abruptly changed the

subject. "So, how'd it go with the kitchen contractor? Did he talk

you into getting a SubZero or a Wolff?"

"A what?"

"Guess not. Come to think of it, you never cook, and Cameron probably

doesn't either," Wilson said.

"Not like you and your happy homemaker." House then whined,

"He kinda vetoed my idea of vending machines. Now, what's wrong with

that?"

"You'd have to keep them stocked," Wilson said.

"You've got a point. Anyway, we're picking out counters on Saturday."

Wilson studied his friend. "Never thought I'd ever hear you say that.

A domesticated House!"

The diagnostician just rolled his eyes.


	45. Chapters 89 and 90

__Tonight's motel has Internet access and I was actually able to connect, so here are the next two chapters. __

**Chapter 89. HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR A BANK FULL OF NUNS?**

That evening, Cameron told House and Gretchen that Clair and Emily

were coming to Princeton for the weekend.

"Can they stay here?" Gretchen asked, excitedly.

But her father dampened her anticipation. "Only if Junior and I move

out" House said. Sharing his apartment with his two girls was one

thing, but two more females? Not on your life!

Cameron gave him a dirty look. "Gretchen, we barely have

enough room for the three of us and the dog. They're staying at a

motel."

"Oh," a disheartened Gretchen said. She knew enough not to argue.

"Besides, they'll be looking at houses and we have to go pick out

things for our kitchen. I'm sure, though, we'll spend plenty of time

with them, since they're staying until Monday."

"Do you think they can move near our new house?" Gretchen asked, with

renewed enthusiasm. "Tommy and I want Em to be in our class."

"Do I have to remind you what old Mick said?" her father asked, with

one arched eyebrow.

"I don't know if it will be possible, sweetie," her mother said,

trying to pave the way more softly for the probable letdown. "I

talked to our real estate agent and she said there were very few

houses in our new school district that are in Clair's price range."

"Oh." Again, Gretchen sounded disappointed. "But there are some,

aren't there?" She wasn't ready to give up hope.

"Very few," Cameron had to tell her, feeling like the Grinch.

At the same time, Chase and Sullivan were driving out in the country.

"Are you sure this is the right road?" Chase asked skeptically.

"I got the directions from House" Sullivan said, consulting the GPS

on her Palm for the fourth time. "This is the right road. We're

looking for a sign that says Half-Mile Road. It should be soon."

They drove on until Sullivan said, "There it is!" Like House and

Gretchen before them, they'd already passed the turn. So they turned

around, drove back, and turned into the gravel road that took them

to the farm.

"She knows we're coming, doesn't she?" Chase asked.

Sully sighed. "Yes, Rob, I called her. I wasn't going to come all the

way out here if the dogs were all gone."

"Right. Good." He parked the car in the clearing in front of the

small house and they got out. They walked up to the door and knocked.

A woman with reddish-brown curls surrounding a pretty face opened

the door. "You must be Dr. Sullivan."

"Yes, and this is my friend, Dr. Chase."

"Well, c'mon in. I just put a pot of tea up. Please join me and I'll

get the dogs." She led them to the living room, invited them to sit,

and left. The house was warm and cosy. When she returned from what

must have been the kitchen she was carrying a tray holding a pot of

tea, three china cups and a plate of home-made cookies. "I'm so glad

Dr. House told you about the puppies."

"Junior is very cute, and I know House, Cameron and Gretchen love

him. And the Wilson's love their dog too," Sully told her.

"Well, have some tea and I'll go get them."

"I thought there was only one more," Chase said. "Les, didn't House

say Gretchen had to choose from three? So if they have one and the

Wilson's have one...unless I've forgotten how to count..."

"One of the original litter was returned. The woman said she was

allergic, but I think it was because her husband didn't want it."

She rose and left again, returning in no time carrying two Basset

puppies in her arms. "You have your choice between a male and a

female."

"What do you think, Rob?" Sullivan asked, but he could see she was

fascinated by the male.

"They're both very cute," he said as he looked at the two puppies.

Then he looked at Sullivan's face. He could tell she wanted him to

make the decision, but that she really liked the male better. "How

about the male?"

Sullivan smiled broadly. "OK."

"What will you name him?" the woman asked.

Sully didn't have to think for long before saying, "Harry". Chase

just shrugged. It was fine with him.

Friday morning after they took Gretchen to school, House and

Cameron drove to a near-by bank to close on their mortgage. Cameron

had gone through the process before when she bought her house in

Albany, but House had never had to 'sign his life away', as he put

it.

"Brace yourself," Cameron warned. "You could develop carpal tunnel

syndrome from signing your name on so many papers, and, no, I will

not sign them for you!"

"Couldn't they just use carbon paper?" he said, then looked at

her closely. "You do know what that is, don't you?"

"House, I'm not that young," she answered with a smirk. "You have the

check for the down payment and escrow, don't you?" she asked.

He smacked his forehead dramatically. "Now you ask me!"

"House!" an exasperated Cameron shouted.

He smirked. "Of course I have it." He patted his pocket.

"May I help you?" the woman at the front desk in the bank asked.

"We're here for a mortgage closing." Cameron said.

"Right this way." She led them to a door, knocked, and opened it to

let them enter, then left.

"Mr. and Mrs. House?" a man sitting behind a large oak desk asked.

"Close," House said, limping in. "It's Dr. House and Dr. Cameron."

"Yes, of course," the man said, peering at them over his half glasses.

"Well, please have a seat."

They sat across the desk from him in wooden armchairs with leather

upholstered seats and backs. The desk itself was bare except for a

stack of forms about five inches thick and a pile of pens.

"I'll take you through each of these." The banker patted the

stack, almost lovingly. "And show you where you each have to sign. It

should only take about half an hour. Three-quarters max." he said.

House looked at the stack and groaned.

**Chapter 90. AMAZING**

Gretchen sat at a table in the school cafeteria with Tommy, Nelson, David and a girl named Elizabeth, who'd recently moved to New Jersey from England. She

noticed that Audra was eating by herself, as usual, at another table.

"Does Audra always eat alone?" she asked.

"Yes. She'd never condescend to eat with us," Nelson said. The others

snickered. Gretchen got up thoughtfully. took her lunch tray and

walked over to the blond girl.

"Hi, Audra. Mind if I sit down?"

Audra shrugged. "And if I did? Suit yourself."

So Gretchen sat down. "Mrs. Bean said you should introduce me to the

other kids, but I guess I already know more of them than you do." She

watched Audra's face intently to see whether this bothered

her. But there was no reaction, so she tried something else. "Have

you lived in New Jersey all your life?"

"What?"

"Did you always go to this school?" Gretchen asked next.

"What business is it of yours?" Audra asked angrily.

It was Gretchen's turn to shrug. "Guess I'm just nosy."

"Listen, House, we're not friends and I don't want to be friends

with you. Or with anyone else. Got that?"

"Jeech! No need to get angry!" Gretchen said, but she didn't leave.

She continued to eat her bag of chips. Audra pretended to ignore her.

eating some baby carrots. Gretchen held out the bag and

said "Want some?"

Audra eyed the chips. "House, how can you eat such junk and not be

fat like Tessa?" Tessa was a girl in their class who was on the

pudgy side.

Gretchen chuckled. "Metabolism, I guess. You know, no one else ever

called me 'House'. That's what they call my Dad. I kinda like it."

"You just moved here, right?" Audra was becoming curious.

"Yes, a few weeks ago," Gretchen replied.

"So how come you're so chummy with the cripple?"

"'The cripple' is named Tommy as you well know, or maybe you should

call him 'Wilson'." She chuckled again. "His parents and mine work

together at PPTH."

"What's that?" Audra asked, making a face.

"Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Tommy's mom is the hospital

administrator and his dad is head of the Oncology department. Mine's

head of the Diagnostics department and my mom just started working

in the Infectious Disease department."

"So you live with your mom AND dad?" Audra wanted to know.

"Yes. Mom and I just moved here from Albany. That's where I was born.

And we just bought a house on Cherry Tree Lane."

"We live on Lemon Tree Court," Audra said. "That's the next street

over."

"You and your parents?"

"I live with my grandparents" Audra said, but after that she clammed up as if she'd told Gretchen more than she'd ever told anyone else at school, more than she wanted anyone to know.

That evening, House and Cameron told their daughter all about the

closing but all she said was, "That's good", and went back to eating

her Kung Pao Chicken.

Cameron woke Saturday morning and glanced over at House. He had a

frown on his face, the same frown she'd noticed a few times the

evening before. His eyes opened, but the frown remained and seemed

to have spread to them.

"What's wrong, Greg?" she said softly.

He looked at her thoughtfully. "Gretchen was kinda quiet last night.

I mean her reaction to the fact that we'd successfully closed on the

house was no where near as excited as I expected."

"She's thinking about Emily, and the probability that she won't be

in Gretchen and Tommy's class or even the same school," Cameron told

him.

"How do you know that's what it is?"

"Greg, how do you know that a patient has cancer and not a simple

infection? Years of experience observing her behavior and moods."

He nodded in understanding. "So, what is she thinking?"

"Well, she's passed through the 'I can't do anything to make it

happen myself' stage, and even the 'I can't get an adult to make

it happen' one, to acceptance of the situation. Now she's working on

how she can cope with the consequences."

House was no longer frowning. "So she'll be OK?" He was still

concerned.

"She's a pretty amazing kid. Most of them don't think things through

like this. Of course, I've never had another daughter to be able

to compare, but most other kids I've known whine and complain rather

than analyzing the situation and making adjustments to what they

want based on what's possible." She smirked at him. "I bet you were

like that too."

"I guess so," he mused. "Never thought it was so unusual." He thought

a while, than asked, "Is there any way we can help her cope?"

"Well, we know some of the other things she wants, and we've been

working on giving them to her," Cameron answered.

"What if...what if we can't have another child?" he asked.

"Then I think we just have to follow Gretchen's example and figure

out how we cope with the consequences."


	46. Chapters 91 and 92

__We're at our daughter's finally and can use her Internet, so I'll post what I can over the next few days. Sorry for the delay.__

__Thanks for all of the comments. Keep 'em coming!__

**Chapter 91. HOME ON THE RANGE**

House, Cameron and Gretchen had each brought a list with them to the

kitchen contractor's showroom. Each was very different from the

others. Not surprising, Cameron's was the most practical and

complete:

Granite or Travertine counters with a built-in cutting board

Wood cabinets (not too dark) with pull-out shelves

Stainless steel sink with instant hot water dispenser, goose-neck

faucet, a water purifier and a soap dispenser

Ceramic tile floors

Refrigerator with water and ice dispensers in the door.

House, on the other hand, would be happier if the refrigerator

dispensed beer instead. He also wanted:

Kitchen entertainment center with widescreen plasma TV and gaming

system

Paper plate dispenser (so they didn't need a dishwasher)

Vending machines

He knew the contractor had already vetoed the last, but figured, if

he kept on asking, maybe Hathaway would change his mind.

Gretchen included the two things she'd asked for previously:

Restaurant style booth

Blue counters

But she also wanted:

A bigger window overlooking the backyard

Microwave for popcorn

Toaster for pop tarts

The contractor was glad that their requests didn't really contradict

each other, but also that his commission on this job was going to be

substantial.

Beth Lozano, the real estate agent that House and Cameron used,

picked Clair and Emily up at their motel and took them to see a house

she'd found in the same neighborhood as the Pink House.

It was definitely a fixer-upper, with peeling paint on the exterior

wood trim, a broken shutter on one front window, and cracks in the

driveway and walk. Inside wasn't much better. As Clair and Em walked

from room to room they saw faded wallpaper, dirty and worn carpeting

and linoleum, and obvious water damage in the ceilings of two of the

three bedrooms. Probably a problem with the roof.

Because of those things, it was in Clair's price range, but if you

added what it would cost to repair all of the problems they could

see, not to mention those they couldn't, she'd be way over budget.

The look on Clair's face was unmitigated dismay.

"I can show you some others in other neighborhoods, if you like," Mrs.

Lozano said.

Emily's face fell. She'd been so happy to be moving to Princeton,

sure that she'd be able to see Gretchen every day again at school.

As they'd driven to this house, she'd hoped that the Three Amigos could

be in the same school, maybe even the same class, after all.

Now it looked like that wouldn't happen. Gretchen and Tommy had

tried to get her to look on the bright side the last time they'd

talked.

"At least you'll be nearby," Gretchen had said. "We can do things

together after school and on weekends."

"Maybe after a while your Mom will find a house in our district,"

Tommy said optimistically. "Or my Mom can give her a huge raise and

she'll be able to afford something here."

But in the end they all knew that they probably couldn't be

together.

Mrs. Lozano took Clair and Emily to a house in another school

district not far away. It was in much better condition, a very nice

house with a large kitchen and a great backyard. Through her

disappointment, Emily was still aware of a tree house and tried to

convince herself that she would be happy here.

They saw three more houses, but none were as nice, and Mrs. Lozano

finally took them back to the motel.

Later that afternoon, Clair and Emily met House, Cameron and Gretchen

at Games and Grub. The girls were thrilled to see each other even

though they'd talked the day before. House took them both off to

play some games while Cameron and Clair talked.

"There was only one house in your school district," Clair reported.

"And it was a disaster! But we saw a very nice one in the Live Oaks

area."

"Oh, Foreman and his family live there, and I think his wife, Dana,

teaches in the elementary school. It's got a very good school

system."

"Except Emily was counting on your school district. Allison, what do I do?"

"You do what you can. You buy a house you can afford. Emily will be

disappointed for a while, but she'll get over it."

"Do you think getting her a dog will ease the pain?"

"Is she still asking for one?" Cameron countered.

"She hasn't even mentioned it. I actually miss the puppy pictures,"

Clair said wistfully.

"Well, while you're here, you have to meet Junior, and the Wilson's

dog Albert. Do you want a dog?"

"Well..."

They were interrupted by a man accompanied by a boy of about 13 or 14 with

sandy colored hair. "Cameron? I didn't expect to see you here."

"Oh, hi Billings, I could say the same to you," she said smiling at

her colleague.

"My son would only consent to eat with me if I brought him here,"

Billings explained, smiling back.

Cameron chuckled. "This is my friend Clair Palmer. She'll be

replacing Symington as head of the labs at PPTH. Our daughters are

off playing video games with House."

"Dad, can I go now?" the teen asked, impatiently, as Billings

considered what she'd said. He handed his son some money and sent him

off to play some games too.

"Clair, this is Arthur Billings, one of the other doctors in

Infectious Diseases," Cameron completed the introductions.

Clair and Billings nodded at each other. Just then, two hyper nine-

year-old girls came rushing up. "Mom, these games are outrageous!"

the shorter blond one said to Clair.

"This is my daughter, Emily." Clair put an arm around her shoulders.

The taller girl with long dark brown hair and blue eyes was followed

by the diagnostician.

"Billings," House greeted the shorter man curtly.

"And this is my daughter, Gretchen," Cameron told Billings.

The girls said 'Hi' to the stranger, but they had more important

things on their minds. "Mom, we're hungry," they said simultaneously

to their respective mothers, then giggled. "Yeah, Mom, we're hungry" House

echoed.

**Chapter 92 BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, I MEAN TINTAGEL'S**

"Are you two almost ready already?" Gretchen stood outside the bedroom

door, calling to her parents.

"Why? You in some kind of hurry?" her father said, limping up behind

her from the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his free hand.

The girl jumped and turned to him. "Oh! Well we told Clair and Em

that we'd pick them up at ten and it's already nine forty-five."

"It won't take more than ten minutes to get to their motel." Her

mother walked out of the bedroom and took the cup of

coffee from House's hand. "Is Junior ready?"

"Junior?" Gretchen asked, a frown appearing.

"Yes, we're taking the dog so Clair and Emily can meet him, right?"

"Oh." Gretchen needed a good excuse not to take him. "But there won't

be enough room for us and Clair and Emily and Tommy and his parents."

"The Wilsons are meeting us there." His eyes narrowed

as he wondered why she didn't want to take Junior. He watched as her

face went through several expressions. "Of course, maybe they can

meet Junior later," he said, and was pleased to see it was the right

thing to say. Gretchen smiled.

"So, let's go," Cameron said.

House, Cameron, Gretchen, Clair and Emily arrived at Tintagel's

Bakery and Cafe before the Wilsons. It was still warm enough to eat

outside, so they commandeered three of the wrought-iron tables and

eight chairs and put them all together. House headed inside to order

for them all, and the two girls followed. Gretchen wanted Emily to

meet the parrots.

The green one was still saying, "Take a number" but he was alternating

that with, "How sweet it is". The other two seemed to have learned

some new lines too. One kept chanting, "There's a hole in the donut,

dear Liza, dear Liza" and the other had switched from "Coffee or Tea"

to "Coffee, Tea or me?"

The girls watched them for a while, giggling, and House picked out

a wide assortment of baked goods for everyone.

By the time they returned outside, Wilson, Cuddy and Tommy had

arrived. Before long their breakfasts were delivered. Muffins,

bagels and Danish - all freshly-baked. Pots of coffee with sugar

and cream, cups of hot chocolate, and glasses of chilled orange juice.

"I thought you said you came here for the pancakes," Wilson accused

House, before he sunk his teeth into a huge blueberry muffin.

"Feeding you Macadamia Nut Pancakes would be like bringing coals to

Newcastle," House told him, but stopped suddenly as he saw a worried

look cross Gretchen's face. She did all she could to keep herself

from saying 'Uh oh!'

House looked where she was staring, but all he saw was their friend

Daisy and her dog. Her dog! That was it. His daughter didn't want

someone to see the dog, and that someone could only be Clair. He saw

a look pass between Gretchen and Tommy. Emily hadn't noticed yet.

Daisy came over to them and greeted House and Gretchen. "And you're

Gretchen's mother," she said to Cameron. "I saw you with them the

first time we met."

"Yes. And these are friends of ours, James, Lisa, Tommy, Clair and Emily."

"How do you like your Basset?" Daisy asked. "My friend Gwen said

you got one of her puppies."

"He's wonderful," Cameron said. "And the Wilson's got one of them

too."

"I understand that you sent another doctor to Gwen," Daisy said to

House.

"Sullivan," he said.

"Sully and Chase got a Basset, too?" Gretchen asked.

House could see that the three children knew they had to abandon

their plan, which he could only surmise consisted of first bombarding

Clair with the puppy pictures and then practically starving her of

any and all contact with them. Tommy took the lead.

"Bassets are the best puppies."

"So, you like yours?" Daisy asked.

"He's been taking very good care of Albert," Cuddy said proudly and

the children all smiled. Maybe this was a better plan. Clair could

hear how wonderful the puppies were and that Gretchen and Tommy were

taking good care of theirs, so how could she object to Emily having

one too?

Clair was, indeed, listening and watching. She'd half made her mind

up to give in on the dog since she couldn't buy a house where Emily

wanted, and this clinched it.

"Gwen says she only has one left," Daisy told everyone. "The last

female."

"Oh," said Tommy, laying it on a little thick. "She must be sooo

lonely with all her brothers and sisters gone to good homes."

House had to stifle a laugh and wound up sputtering his coffee.

Clair suddenly found several pairs of eyes on her, so she said, "I

don't think she'll be lonely much longer."

The look on her daughter's face was one she'd always remember, a look

of shear joy.


	47. Chapters 93 and 94

__A couple of short chapters for you all tonight. __

__We'll be starting home tomorrow but we'll probably be on the road for at least a week more. I'll continue to post when I can.__

__I knew this was the next chapter title but hadn't heard the song for eons – until this week! Talk about coincidences! (We also heard Sheryl Crow's 'Soak Up The Sun' twice in three days after not hearing it for a long time).__

__Thanks for all of the comments. Keep 'em coming!__

**Chapter 93. HEY CARRIE ANNE, WHAT'S YOUR GAME GIRL, CAN ANYBODY PLAY?**

Since there was no school that day, House and Cameron had taken Monday off to take Gretchen to have her cast removed. Afterwards, they

were all able to go with Clair and Emily to get the last puppy.

This time Gretchen had no objection to taking Junior. The Palmers

had finally met Gretchen's dog the night before. They were happy

to see him again when House, Cameron and Gretchen picked them up

at their motel.

House knew the way now, and of course the new family bus had

a GPS system, so he didn't miss the turn to the farm. He'd forgotten

about the sounds of all of the farm animals until they'd pulled into

the clearing in front of the small house and gotten out. The cows,

horses, and even the donkey greeted them.

Junior seemed to remember the place. Once he was out of the car, he

ran around in circles a couple of times before coming to rest at

Gretchen's side. She lifted him up and carried him up to the front

door.

Gwen had heard them drive up. She had the door open. "Dr. House.

And Gretchen. Good to see you both again. Hello, Junior." She patted the dog's head. He seemed to remember her, too.

Cameron held out her hand to the woman. "I'm Allison Cameron,

Gretchen's mother, and these are our friends, Clair and Emily Palmer"

she said. "They're interested in the last puppy."

"That's wonderful. She's been very quiet lately, I guess because

there weren't any others to play with. I hope she'll be getting lots

of opportunities to play with Junior and the dogs the Wilsons and

Dr. Sullivan got."

"We hope so." Gretchen grinned and looked at Emily.

"Gretchen, Tommy and I will make sure that our dogs can play together

at least on the weekends," Emily said. She knew that would ensure

that they could play together too.

"And we can even ask Sully to bring hers, too." Gretchen was already

making plans in her head.

Gwen went to get the puppy, leaving them to talk about what Emily

should name her. She was becoming more and more excited.

"How 'bout Omega?" House suggested. "Since she's the last one."

"Or Matilda," Clair said. "I've always liked that name." But both

girls made faces at these choices.

When she actually saw the puppy and held her in her own arms, Emily

was ecstatic.

"So, what will you name her?" Gwen asked the little blond girl.

Emily cuddled the puppy and grinned. "Carrie Anne."

Now that they had the dog, they needed all sorts of things for her.

They wouldn't buy them all in Princeton, but they needed a few just

for the trip back to Albany. So the next stop was a pet store where

Clair and Emily bought a carrier, bowls, a leash and some dog food.

While they were picking out their purchases, Gretchen wandered over

to the dog toys. She'd decided that Junior needed some new ones,

and that Albert and Carrie Anne did, too. She even selected one for

Sullivan's dog, Harry. She had some money saved up and she couldn't

think of anything she'd rather spend it on.

With their purchases complete, Cameron was eager to show Clair the Pink House, so they drove to Cherry Tree Lane. House was becoming tired of playing chauffeur, but Cameron and Gretchen were having such a good time he squelched

his urge to whine.

As they pulled up on the driveway, they saw Nita sitting on the

porch next door with an elderly man. Gretchen waved to her, then

turned to her parents. "Can I take Emily and the dogs over and

introduce them to Nita?" she asked.

"Don't you want to show Em your room?" Her mother replied.

"I'll do that afterward," Gretchen said.

So while the adults went into the house, Gretchen and Emily took the

two Bassets next door.

"Hi, Nita. This is one of my best friends, Emily. She'll be moving to

New Jersey pretty soon. And these are our dogs."

"This is my grandfather," Nita said. "Papa, this is the girl I told

you about, the one who'll be living next door."

Nita's grandfather studied the two girls and the dogs with his

intense dark eyes. "Both of them?" he asked.

"No," Gretchen told him. "I'm moving next door and Emily will be

living a few miles away."

"Too bad. I like to see children playing. Not enough children on this

street anymore." He had a lightly accented voice and a wistful look on his face.

"Well, Emily will visit a lot and so will our other friend Tommy."

He smiled. "That will be very good. And the dogs, what kind are

they?"

"They're Bassets," Emily replied. "I just got Carrie Anne today, and

Gretchen's had Junior for a few weeks."

He nodded, then suddenly lost interest in the children and dogs. "I

want to go in now," he said to Nita.

"Sure, Papa." She smiled at the girls. "Thanks for stopping by."

"We'll see you," Gretchen said, and started to walk away when the old

man suddenly said, "I once knew a girl named Carrie Anne." Then he

and Nita went into the house.

Gretchen watched him go but once he was inside she said, "C'mon. I really do want to show you my room and the yard."

As they walked towards her new home, she thought about the old man.

She'd never known many old people and so she didn't know whether that

was normal behavior or not. Well, she'd probably be finding out if

she was going to be living next door to him.

**Chapter 94. Pillow Talk**

After a stop to see the house Clair was considering, House, Cameron and Gretchen had finally sent Clair, Emily and Carrie Anne on their way home to Albany. They headed back to the apartment, stopping for some Chinese food along the way.

As they ate, House asked his daughter "So, you gonna let Tommy know about Emily's dog?" He'd wondered how long it would take.

She answered smiling and holding up her phone. "Emily and I texted him as soon as she got her."

House smirked, realizing he should have known. They went back to enjoying their food, each thinking about the events of the weekend.

Gretchen helped her mother clear the table after they ate. "Are you all set for school tomorrow?" Cameron asked.

"Yes," the girl replied. "We're starting a unit on amphibians," she added smiling and then, even more enthusiastically, "We get to dissect a frog!"

Cameron couldn't remember doing things like that in fourth grade, but it was a long time since she'd been Gretchen's age. At any rate, she was pleased with Gretchen's enthusiasm. "Well, it's been a long weekend. Better get ready for bed."

"Aw, Mom, do I have to?" her daughter asked, doing her best imitation of her father.

Cameron just laughed.

"Thank you, Greg" Cameron said when they were alone in their bedroom, then hastened to add, "I know. You don't like me thanking you for anything, but I realize there were other ways you would have liked to spend your day off."

He looked at the beautiful woman before him. "It made you and our daughter happy, didn't it?"

"Yes." She smiled at him.

"Enough for me." He shrugged.

She moved closer. "I guess now I'm going to have to make you happy, too." She put her arms around his neck. His automatically went around her, too.

"Now that's the kind of reward I like for being such a good boy" He was smiling too. She noticed the start of laugh lines around his eyes that had always looked so sad and thoughtful.

She kissed his lips and then they began to undress, stopping every once in a while to touch and kiss. She kissed the scar on his neck and then his shoulders. He ran his hands over her shoulders and across her chest before reaching around her to unhook her bra for her. The touches and kisses became more sensual, more needy. Soon his hands were on her bare hips and hers on his as they pulled each other closer. Without a word, they found themselves in bed, lost in their passion for each other.

Later, as they lay in each other's arms, Cameron said, "I guess we'll need a sitter for Wednesday night."

"Wednesday night?" House, whose thoughts were on what they'd just done, was temporarily at a loss.

"Meet the Teacher night. Remember, Gretchen told us about it?"

"Aw, Mom, do I have to?" he whined.

Cameron laughed thinking again about how alike he and his daughter were.

"If I don't go, we won't need a sitter," House said, trying to appear logical.

"I'm sure Cuddy and Wilson are going," Cameron argued.

"Good for them," House said.

"Don't you want to meet this Mrs. Bean that Tommy and Gretchen have been raving about? I sure do."

He wouldn't admit that he was curious too, but said, "Could one of your new pals in Infectious Diseases stay with Gretchen? Or should I ask Yen or Sullivan?"

"Let me ask Lloyd, or maybe Billings," she replied.

"Hmmm. Billings and Clair. Whaddya think?"

"House!"

"Well, she never remarried after her husband was killed. And I hear he's a widower. They each have a kid. Why not?" he asked.

Cameron studied him. Would he ever stop amazing her? She smirked. "Since when did you become Matchmaker!House?"

"They seemed to be getting along OK when they met last night," House added.

"Well, frankly, if you and the girls hadn't demanded to eat, I think they would have had a chance to get better acquainted."

"See, you were thinking the same thing." He stared at her. "Although I doubt they'll ever have what we do." He leered at her.

"Not many people do," Cameron agreed, looking back at him longingly. "Of course, it certainly took us long enough."


	48. Chapters 95 and 96

__A few vignettes that actually do move the story along. They're mostly about friendship and doing favors for people.__

__We expect to be home by the middle of the coming week. Meanwhile, posting will continue to be sporadic. Once I'm home I'll be able to get back to my old schedule of posting every other day.__

**Chapter 95. Do Me A Favor**

Lloyd entered their shared office just after Cameron on Tuesday morning. "How was your weekend?" she asked.

"Very good." Cameron smiled at the memories, but decided to tell her only some of the PG13 ones. "My friend Clair and her daughter, who's one of Gretchen's best friends, were in town. Clair will be taking Symington's place when he retires so she was looking for a place to live. How was your weekend?" she asked in return.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Catching up on laundry, grocery shopping, and watching everything I recorded during the week."

"Oh," Cameron said, but she had something to ask. "Lloyd, can I ask you a favor?"

Lloyd looked at Cameron expectantly.

"Tomorrow night is meet the teacher night at Gretchen's school. Would you be able to stay with her for a couple of hours?"

"Oh, I'd love to!" Lloyd's face lit up. "I'm dying to meet her."

"That's great. Here's the address." Cam handed her a card with the information on it. "Its easy to find. If you can get there at seven, it'll be perfect."

–

Wilson and House stood on their adjoining balconies. "You going to this meet the teacher thing?" House looked out over the hospital campus rather than at his friend.

"I go every year," Wilson replied, then realized why his friend was asking. "You're not going," he surmised.

House squeezed his lips together. "Didn't say that. So, since you're so experienced, what happens at these things?"

"You meet the teacher."

"Ha! I figured that part out, actually. I mean, besides that."

Wilson tugged at his ear as he thought. "The teacher tells you how your kid's doing, sometimes even shows you some of his work. Tells you what the kids will be learning. Sometimes they ask the parents to help with class projects or school trips."

House narrowed his eyes. He didn't really like the sound of that. "You don't have to do those, right?"

"Not if you don't want to,."

"Can you ask questions? I mean, I want to know that my daughter's teacher isn't a complete dunce."

Wilson sighed. "Yes, you can ask questions" he replied, but he was a little bit afraid of what House might ask. "Some of the teachers will even answer them."

"Who's gonna stay with Tommy?"

Wilson smiled. "I asked my brother."

"Marty?" House was somewhat surprised.

"Yeah. You suggested that I give him some responsibility, show him that I trust him. I thought this would be a good opportunity and Lisa agreed. We'll only be gone a couple of hours."

"Cameron's asking one of the other doctors in Infectious Diseases," House said, not that Wilson had asked.

Wilson moved away from the partition between their balconies where he'd been leaning as they talked. "Well, I've gotta go check some biopsy results."

"Yeah." House turned away, his mind on the prospect of meeting Gretchen's teacher.

But no sooner was Wilson gone than Sullivan entered House's office. He opened the balcony door and stepped inside to find out what she wanted.

"The results are negative," she reported. She and Sheffield had just done an MRI on their latest patient.

House frowned and shook his head. They'd already investigated all the suggestions made during their whiteboard meeting. It looked like they were back to square one on this.

Sullivan interrupted his thoughts to say, "Dr. House, can I ask you a favor?"

His eyebrows went up.

"Actually two," she amended and he frowned again. "Robert and I are getting married," she went on.

"And you want time off for your honeymoon," he guessed.

"Well, that too, I suppose. But that wasn't the favor." She took a breath, let it out, and plunged in. "I want you to give me away, walk me down the aisle."

Now House's attention focused on the short young woman. "Don't you have an uncle or something?" He knew her father was dead.

"No. Dad was an only child. My mom is too."

"What about your brothers?"

"They both live in California. I'll be lucky if they even come to the wedding. Well, one will probably come, but the other one?" She shook her head. "I doubt it." It was her turn to study him.

House wondered whether she was beginning to regret that she'd asked. "Would I have to wear a monkey suit?"

Did that mean he was considering it? "Afraid so," she smirked at him.

"And I guess this means I'm gonna have to stop riding Chase, huh?"

"Not necessarily," she said, smiling that smile that made her plain face quite pretty.

"You said two favors," he reminded her.

"I'd like Gretchen to be my Junior Bridesmaid."

"My daughter?"

"Yes. Yen agreed to be my Maid of Honor, and Robert asked Eric Foreman to be his Best Man. I think Eric and Dana will let Ricky be our Ring Bearer and 'Becca be our Flower Girl. I'll let you know the details later." She turned to go before he changed his mind, and left happy that she'd had the courage to ask him.

He watched her leave. He knew when he hired her that she'd be the best of the current crop of ducklings. She had a combination of keen intelligence and a compassionate heart that he hadn't seen since the more beautiful Allison Cameron. It was a testimony to the fact that Robert Chase had reached a high level of emotional maturity that he, too, recognized what was beneath her unremarkable exterior.

–

**Chapter 96. That's What Friends Are For.**

"OK, Brazilian Flu expert, what do you make of this?" Davidson slapped a file down in front of Cameron.

She opened the file and immediately said, "This patient is thirty-five!"

"So?"

"So, there have been no reported cases of the flu in adults," she pointed out.

"That doesn't mean it couldn't happen" he said defensively.

"Are Mrs. Dodridge's platelets elongated or flattened?"

"Platelets?" he asked in confusion.

"You didn't look at her blood, did you? It's part of the diagnosis."

"But the other symptoms..." he began.

"...are the symptoms of several other types of flu and other diseases as well," she finished for him.

Cho burst into the room. "Mrs. Dodridge just seized," he told them. "Billings is with her, but I think you'd better come too," he told Davidson.

Cameron followed the two men to the patient's room.

"I think we need a neurological exam," Billings said as soon as he saw them.

"What happened?" Davidson asked.

Billings explained how the patient had suddenly had a seizure as they were attaching an IV drip of a different antibiotic.

"I know someone in Neurology," Davidson said in response. "I'll call and get him to consult." He picked up the phone and punched in an extension, then seemed to wait. "Hello, Dr. Perez please" he finally said, then waited some more. He began to speak again, "Hey, Perez, this is Davidson."

After a pause, he looked annoyed. "Russell Davidson." He glanced at the other doctors, glad they couldn't hear Perez but he had to add, "In Infectious Diseases. We need a neurological consult."

Davidson stood looking at the phone, not sure what had just happened. "He said he'd have to clear it with his boss, but might be able to send someone down. They must be very busy," he said to save face. "It may be a while."

Cameron studied him and realized he didn't know Perez as well as he'd claimed. Well, the important thing was the patient. She reached for the phone and called the same extension. "Dr. Foreman, please. Tell him it's Allison Cameron," She sensed that Davidson was staring at her, but didn't look at him.

Foreman was back to her in less than two minutes. "Cameron, how can I help you?"

"Hi, Foreman. We've got a patient in ID that needs a neurological consult."

"Sure. I'll be right there. What room?"

"Oh, you don't have to come yourself," she said.

"Hey, that's what friends are for."

Cameron told him the room, disconnected, and turned to see Davidson glaring at her wide-eyed. You could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears, but Billings and Cho were smiling.

"We'll be starting a new unit this week in Geography," Mrs. Bean told the class. "Starting with the first thirteen states, we will study every state in the U.S. before our winter break in December. Each of you will be paired with one other student to study one state, but since there are only twenty-two students in the class, two pairs will have to cover two states."

She looked around the room and was pleased to see that all of the students understood although they weren't equally enthusiastic about the assignment. "Who can tell me what the smallest state of those first ones was?"

Nelson was the first to raise his hand but several others did too. Mrs. Bean indicated that Nelson should answer.

"Rhode Island," he said.

"That's right." She smiled at him. "I think we'll have one pair study Rhode Island and the state right next to it, Connecticut. Nelson, would you like to do those?"

"Sure, that'll be great. Can Tommy be my partner?" he asked.

The teacher agreed. Gretchen had been hoping to work on this with Tommy, but she wouldn't mind working with any of the other kids.

"OK, who wants to take New York?" Mrs. Bean asked.

Gretchen excitedly raised her hand, but so did a few others. Since she'd been first, Mrs. Bean called on her. "Why are you so interested in New York?" she asked.

"Because that's where I'm from. I was born there, and lived there until recently," Gretchen replied.

"OK, then. Who would you like to work with?"

Gretchen looked around the room. She thought about choosing Elizabeth because the English girl was very nice, but then she decided there was someone else. "Audra," she said.

Mrs. Bean was very pleased with her choice. Audra, on the other hand, was shocked. No one ever picked her for anything.

The teacher quickly assigned the other states to the other students and told them they had two weeks to put together a presentation with pictures and all sorts of information about their states.

As the students left the room for lunch, Audra approached Gretchen and asked, "Why did you pick me?"

"Because that's what friends are for," Gretchen told her.


	49. Chapters 97 and 98

__Well, we're finally home, and you know what that means – I'll be able to post much more regularly on all of my stories, especially this one since it just needs some editing.__

_Again, you'll have to read carefully to see the beginnings of some more plotlines._

**Chapter 97. Back To School**

At exactly seven the doorbell rang.

"Gretchen, can you get that?" Cameron called from the kitchen.

"I'll get it," House said as he opened the door on Lloyd.

"Dr. House," she said, not at all surprised.

"Dr. Lloyd. At least you know how to tell time. Guess you can come in." He let her into the living room where Gretchen stood waiting to meet her.

"Hi, I'm Gretchen," the girl said, a smile on her face as she studied the woman. She looked just like her mother described: slightly messy blondish hair, her shirt coming out of one side of her skirt, one that had seen better days. Gretchen had known that her father's comment that Dr. Lloyd looked like an accident waiting to happen was an exaggeration. "And this is Junior." The girl indicated the dog standing very close to her. "Do you have a dog?"

"'Fraid I'm a cat person," Lloyd said, watching to see what the girl thought of that.

"Oh! What's your cats name?"

"I have two, Fred and Ginger," Lloyd replied.

Gretchen smiled. "Those are GREAT cat names, but do they dance?"

Lloyd stared at her. "How do you know to ask that?"

Gretchen shrugged. "We love old movies."

"Well, then, I think we'll get along great." Lloyd turned to House, who was leaning on his cane, watching them. "Did Cameron tell you what happened today? Of course, I wasn't there to see it first-hand, but Cho told me that Davidson was livid."

"He's always been too full of himself. Guess it was time someone took him down a notch."

"OK. I'm ready." Cameron appeared, smoothing her skirt. "Lloyd, you've got my cell number just in case? Don't hesitate to call."

"Mom, we'll be fine," Gretchen said. "And I've already got your number and Dad's in my phone."

"Right, um, Gretchen knows where everything is. Help yourself to drinks and snacks and, uh, ..."

"Let's go, Cameron," House said, rolling his eyes. "They'll be fine."

–

When Cameron and House arrived at the school, they were directed to the cafeteria where many of the other parents were already sitting. They found Wilson and Cuddy and sat down next to them, although neither of the men's knees quite fit under the tables that were sized for elementary kids.

At seven forty-five, the principal stood up at one end of the cafeteria and said "Thank you all for coming out tonight. Our teachers are looking forward to meeting you and talking to you about how your children are doing this year. We pride ourselves at Willowood School that we involve you in your children's education. The teachers are waiting for you in their classrooms, Please enjoy your visit with them."

"That was hardly inspiring," House said, grimacing as he stood to leave. The four doctors walked to the room indicated on a small map as Mrs. Bean's fourth grade classroom. House's first sight of the teacher didn't impress him. She was a short, slight woman, probably in her early thirties. An Asian couple was standing at her desk and she was showing them some of their child's work.

Cameron wandered over to a display on one wall of the room. It looked like reports by the students. A woman, slightly older than House, stood reading one of the reports. As Cameron scanned them, looking for her daughter's familiar handwriting, the woman spoke to her.

"I don't remember seeing you at this school before."

"We've just moved to the area," Cameron replied. "I'm Allison Cameron, by the way. Gretchen House's mother."

"Oh." The woman wasn't sure what to make of that. "I think my granddaughter has mentioned a new girl named Gretchen. She doesn't talk about school or the other children much. I'm Ingrid Swenson, Audra's grandmother."

"Gretchen's mentioned Audra. I think they sit next to each other. And you live on Lemon Tree Court, don't you? We bought a house on Cherry Tree Lane but won't be moving in until some remodeling is done."

It was finally House's and Cameron's turn to stand in front of the teacher, so she left Mrs. Swenson.

"You're Gretchen's parents," Mrs. Bean said. "She looks like you." She smiled, looking at Cameron. "But she has your eyes," she told House.

He rolled those eyes in response. "You'll find I'm not much for the whole 'building a parent-teacher relationship' thing," he informed her. "Just tell me how brilliant my daughter is and then we can go."

"House!" Cameron scolded. "Mrs. Bean, we really do want to know how well she's doing. It can be difficult adjusting to a new school and making new friends."

Mrs. Bean smiled. "Gretchen IS brilliant, just as you say, Dr. House, isn't it? And her adjustment has been amazing. You must know that she makes friends easily."

"I thought that we were here to talk about her academic progress, not how well adjusted and warm and fuzzy she is," House snarked.

The teacher just stared up at him. "She's also shrewd and manipulative and has a sharp tongue, but she knows how to use those traits in a non-hurtful way."

House had to smile a little. Maybe this teacher wasn't so bad after all.

"As I said, she's very smart but she's also very generous in sharing her knowledge and thoughts. She's a pleasure to have in my class. So far, she's done every assignment well and handed everything in on time."

"Just so you know, if she ever says the dog ate her homework, it's probably true," House had to tell her.

Mrs. Bean laughed, and Cameron joined in, happy to see he'd stopped being antagonistic towards her.

"Well, I know there are other parents waiting to talk to you," Cameron said. "Thank you."

"Thank you for coming tonight," Mrs. Bean said. "It was a pleasure to meet you both. I really mean that" she added, smiling at House.

Cuddy and Wilson were the next ones to talk to the teacher. House and Cameron decided to wait for their friends to finish before leaving. But after a few minutes, Cuddy called them back to the teacher's desk.

"I've just suggested that Mrs. Bean bring the class to PPTH for a field trip. They'd scheduled an outing to a pumpkin farm but it was canceled," Cuddy explained.

"And you want us to help you in your evil plan?"

"There's nothing evil about it," Cuddy protested.

"And you think their parents will agree to exposing their precious little ones to diseases and who know what else? I suppose you'll be taking them to see Jimmy's bald-headed dying kids."

"They're old enough. It'll probably be a good experience for them," Wilson insisted.

"Gretchen and Tommy haven't been scarred from their visits to the hospital," Cameron chimed in.

"I think it's a great idea," Mrs. Bean said.

House looked from one to the other. He knew when he'd been out-voted. "OK. I hope you know what you're doing."

**Chapter 98. End of the Night**

Wilson and Cuddy arrived home to find Tommy sitting on Marty's knee, watching a movie.

"Hi Mom, Dad," the boy said, smiling at them. "We're watching a great movie. Can I stay up to see the end?"

"It's a school night," his mother said, checking the time. It was already nine thirty.

"It's almost over," Marty told her.

"So you two had a good time together?" Wilson asked, but it was obvious that they were very comfortable with each other.

"Sure. Uncle Marty's terrific at video games, almost as good as Uncle Greg," Tommy told his father.

"You've got a great kid here, Jim," Marty said, almost wistfully.

"We think so," Cuddy said. "We really appreciate you staying with him tonight."

"It was my pleasure. Just let me know anytime the two of you want to go out. Tommy and I will just hang, right kid?"

"Right!" Tommy agreed.

"Well, I guess I'll be going."

"Why don't you stay and watch the end of the movie with Tommy," Wilson said. His brother smiled at the invitation.

–

Lloyd and Gretchen were also watching the end of a movie when House and Cameron arrived home.

"We accessed a terrific old movie," Gretchen announced as the closing credits scrolled across the screen. "'Mr. And Mrs. Smith'. There's a woman in it who looks just like Mom."

"Your mom is even more beautiful than Angelina Jolie," House said, surprising Cameron who'd always thought the actress was his ideal woman.

"Not her, another woman in the movie," Gretchen corrected.

"Gretchen's been telling me that Dr. Chase and Dr. Sullivan are getting married," Lloyd said.

"I'm surprised the news isn't all over the hospital by now," Cameron told her.

"Gretchen's such a blabbermouth," House said.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"The wedding's at the beginning of December," Cameron said to end the father-daughter squabble before it got out of hand. Then she changed the topic entirely. "Dr. Cuddy suggested that your class visit the hospital next week and Mrs. Bean agreed."

"I thought we were going to a pumpkin farm." Gretchen's face showed her confusion.

"That was canceled. So instead of rather benign jack-o-lanterns, you'll be spending time with the dead." House said the last in a Dracula-like voice, then let out an eerie shriek.

Gretchen laughed.

"I really don't think the morgue will be part of the tour," Cameron said.

"Why not?" Gretchen asked, but she didn't expect an answer. "Will we at least see an operating room? And visit some patients?"

"Probably," her mother speculated.

"Oh, that'll be..." Gretchen began, but her parents simultaneously beat her to the "...Outrageous".

"I hope I see you when you're there," Lloyd said.

"I hope so too," Gretchen agreed. "And remember, you said I can come and see your cats some time."

"I'll arrange that with your mother," Lloyd agreed.

"Thanks so much for staying with Gretchen tonight," Cameron said. "We'll have to take you out to dinner sometime."

"I'd like that," Lloyd said. "Goodnight, everyone."

"_'Night," Cameron, Gretchen, and yes, even House, chorused._


	50. Chapters 99 and 100

__OK, so there aren't any balloons in the next chapter, but since it was number 99, it was an obvious title. Little did I realize this story would have 200 chapters before it was all over. Yes, we're at the halfway mark, so there's plenty more to come.__

__I do apologize for the many changes in point of view especially in the second chapter. When I wrote this, it wasn't something I was aware of, and I'd have to change a lot to avoid it now.__

**Chapter 99 Luftballoons.**

Gretchen and Audra stayed late at school to work on their New York

project. They sat at a computer in the school library doing some

research.

"I didn't know Albany was the capital of New York." Audra looked at the tall girl next to her. "But I guess you did, since you lived there."

"Most people think New York City is the capital. They also think all

of New York State is like New York City, but it isn't."

"My grandfather took me to New York City a few months ago to visit

his brother," Audra said. "It was OK."

"Oh, I just thought of something!" Gretchen exclaimed. "I have some

digitals from our trip to New York City in September. Maybe we

can use them for our report."

"Where did you go?" Audra was curious despite herself.

"Tommy, our friend Emily and I went with to a baseball game with our

parents for Tommy's birthday. And the next day we went to the Museum

of Natural History and F.A.O. Schwarz."

"What's that?"

"It's a really big toy store. I'll have to show you the picture of

my Dad and me on the giant piano." Gretchen smiled as she remembered

what fun they had.

"My Grandfather just took me to an art museum, but it was pretty

cool because you walked up and up in a spiral."

"Look at this." Gretchen had found some pictures online of the

Adirondack Mountains. "Now this is what a lot of New York State

really looks like."

"I've got an idea," Audra said, then hesitated. "I hope you don't hate

it."

"What is it?"

"Why don't we compare those pictures with pictures of the skyscrapers

in New York City?" Audra suggested. "You know, tall trees and tall

buildings."

"That's a great idea!" Gretchen agreed.

They continued to plan how they would present the facts they were

learning, but at one point Gretchen said, "I'm really looking forward

to our school trip to the hospital."

Audra just shrugged. "I don't really like hospitals. And I wish my

Grandmother hadn't volunteered to be a chaperone for the trip."

"Why?" Gretchen asked.

Audra shrugged again. "Just because." She went back to looking for

images they could use for their report, but Gretchen decided she

would try again some time to find out why Audra hated hospitals.

When Mrs. Swenson came for Audra at five o'clock, she asked Gretchen,

"Can I drive you home?"

"No, my parents will be here soon. We're meeting with the contractor

who's fixing our kitchen," she said. "Thanks anyway. Bye, Audra.

See you tomorrow."

Gretchen saw Audra studying her smiling face, but she wasn't smiling. She wondered whether she'd ever find a way to convince Audra to be her friend.

Soon House and Cameron were there to pick up their daughter. They

drove once again to the Pink House and found Rudy Hathaway already

there. He'd brought his electropad so he could show them the plans he'd

drawn up for the kitchen and then they could modify the plans as

they talked.

"I thought that it would make sense to move the dishwasher closer to

the sink." He showed them a schematic and then an elevated drawing

of what he meant. "Track lights might make lighting of different

parts of the kitchen more controllable using X-10 controllers," he

said, showing how turning various lights on and off or just dimming

them would affect things.

Rudy had also brought some samples. "These are two different blue

Travertine countertop materials and this one's granite. The cabinets

can be solid wood or have glass panels, or you could use a mixture."

They were beginning to realize how many selections they still had to

make. Cameron and House looked at each other with dismay. They may

have come up with lists of what they wanted, but now they had to

make some hard decisions.

"Can we see how it would look with these cabinets and these counter-

tops?" Cameron pointed to the ones she wanted.

Rudy typed a few commands and there it was. They each looked at the

results.

"That's OK," Gretchen said.

"Kind of boring," House proclaimed, causing Cameron to roll her eyes.

"OK," she said. "How 'bout these cabinets instead?"

Rudy made the adjustments. House didn't have to say a thing. Cameron

could tell from his expression he liked this better. And then she

realized why. The cabinets were very similar to the ones in his

kitchen, ones he'd lived with for many years.

But the granite countertops she'd selected were dark (besides being

blue rather than a beige shade). "How about these countertops?" she

suggested, indicating the lighter of the two Travertine samples.

She saw House relax almost imperceptibly with the results and smiled

to herself. She guessed she was on to the key that would make the

transition from the apartment he'd lived in for so long a much more

comfortable change for House.

**Chapter 100. READY OR NOT**

House sat down next to Marty Wilson at the big conference table and

looked around at all the hospital staff already assembled. Cuddy had

brought together a team to deal with the band of four-and-a-half to

five foot tall invaders who'd be invading PPTH the next day.

"Hi, Marty. How're things in the labs?" he asked.

"Schultz showed me his inventory system before he left and I

suggested some improvements he liked, so now I'm stuck implementing

them," Marty replied.

"Bummer. So how did Cuddy rope you into this little campaign?"

Marty shrugged. "My nephew's a neat kid. I just wanted to meet some

of his classmates."

Cameron arrived and took the seat next to House. "Hasn't Cuddy

started yet?"

"Guess she's waiting for Jimmy. Speaking of whom, this is Marty

Wilson," House told her.

"Hi, Marty. I'm Allison Cameron," she said smiling. "Wilson's told us

you're doing a great job in the labs."

"I just hope my new boss is happy with what I'm doing. Symington

doesn't seem to even know I'm there. Guess he's already retired on

the job."

"Your new boss is a friend of mine and I think you'll like her,"

Cameron said.

Just then Wilson rushed in and took a seat next to his wife, and as

soon as he sat down, she stood up.

"Thank you all for coming here today" Cuddy told everyone. "I'm

pleased to see you're all willing to help tomorrow with our visitors.

I have some ideas of the parts of the hospital that will interest

them, but I'd like to hear your suggestions." She looked around the

room. Her eyes narrowed when she saw House. She wasn't at all sure

she wanted to hear what he might suggest, but she was glad that he'd

surprisingly agreed to help. Well, not too surprisingly.

She consulted a list she'd made. "I thought we'd start with the

nursery, then take them to see an operating room. I considered the

ER, but they might get in the way. After lunch in the cafeteria,

they'll visit some of the children on the pediatric cancer floor."

She smiled at Wilson who'd offered to handle this part of the

children's visit, and ignored House's stage whisper of, "I knew it".

But she couldn't ignore it when he said out loud, "Bet they'd like

to see the morgue. All of those dead bodies." He cackled loudly.

"House!" Cuddy said.

"Oh, why not?" he asked.

"Because they're nine."

"Well, OK, we could let them diagnose some clinic patients," was his

next suggestion.

"They're not doing your clinic hours," Cuddy insisted vehemently and

several people snickered.

Cameron decided it was time to make a sensible suggestion. "How about

showing them how the MRI machine works?"

House gave her a scathing look. She was spoiling his fun. But then

he realized that it was a really good suggestion. So he added, "We

should show them what it's like to be a patient so that if they

ever are, they won't be as frightened."

The surprise on Cuddy's face was worth abandoning his previous

suggestions.

"Dr. House, are you volunteering?" she asked.

He wondered what he was getting himself into. "It depends," he said

warily. "What do I get if I do?"

Cuddy wasn't sure she wanted him near the kids. Then again, he was

very good with Tommy and his daughter, and there were only twenty

other kids. But she needed a safeguard. "If you and Dr. Cameron

would take the children through the process, you can skip clinic

for the rest of the week."

"Both of us?"

"You both do this, you both get out of clinic" she agreed hoping

Cameron could keep him in line.

"Fair enough" he said, grinning at Cameron, who was now wondering

what he'd gotten her into.

Cuddy was pleased when her brother-in-law offered to demonstrate the

MRI machine and show the children some of the lab equipment. She decided that was settled and moved on to make the other assignments. "Now, who will take the children to the nursery?"

And so it came about that the staff of PPTH thought they were ready

for the visit of Mrs. Bean's fourth grade class.


	51. Chapters 101 and 102

__The time has come for the class hospital visit. Let's see if they can all get through it without too much trauma.__

**Chapter 101. THE HOSPITAL VISIT - PART 1**

The school bus pulled up in front of PPTH and twenty-two nine-year-

olds, their teacher and three chaperones stepped off and through the

doors of the hospital. Dr. Cuddy greeted them all in the lobby,

welcoming them while a couple of the kids whispered that she was

Tommy Wilson's mom and very pretty.

Cuddy then introduced a nurse from the Maternity wing who would take

them to their first stop of the day, the nursery. In groups of five

or six, the nurse, Mrs. Bean, Audra's grandmother, and Nelson's and

Elizabeth's mothers took the children to the third floor in the two

elevators.

The children crowded around the windows to see the newborns. The

girls especially 'oohed' and 'ahhed', begging the nurses to hold up

several of the infants.

"They're so tiny!" Nathan said.

Once they'd each had a turn close to the window, it was time to move

on to their next stop. Dr. Haider, a resident, took them to an

unoccupied operating room. He showed them some of the instruments

used for operations.

"They look like they could be used to torture someone," a boy named

Tim said.

Haider showed them how sharp the scalpels were and told them how

skillful the doctors were who used them.

"Are the patients always asleep when the doctor operates?" Monique

asked.

"Usually, or at least the body part that they are operating on is

numbed," the doctor replied.

Marty met them in the operating room when they were finished.

"Hi, my name's Marty Wilson, and I work in the laboratories here,"

he said.

"Tommy, he's not your Dad, is he?" David asked.

"No, he's my Uncle," Tommy replied, smiling. Marty smiled back at him.

They all headed towards Radiology.

"So, first I'm going to show you how an x-ray machine works. Who

wants to go first?"

"What d'you mean?" Nathan asked.

Marty looked around at the wary children. "OK. I'll go first," he

said. He put a hand in the machine which immediately spit out a

picture of his hand bones.

"Ooh, that's cool!" Nelson said.

"Have any of you had x-rays done before?" Marty asked.

"You mean besides our teeth?" a girl named Ruth with a long braid

down her back asked.

"Yes, besides that," Marty said.

"My arm was x-rayed both times I broke it," Gretchen said.

Tommy had his legs x-rayed many times, but he didn't want to talk

about it, so he was quiet.

"So, can I interest anyone in a five by seven glossy of a part of

their skeleton?" Marty quipped.

Some of the kids looked at each other and giggled. "I'll do it,"

David volunteered.

After he did David's x-ray, Marty showed them the imaging equipment,

and explained how an MRI worked in terms they could understand. "The

important thing is to keep very still when the machine is working

so the doctors can have a clear picture of what's going on inside

you."

Just as he finished, Cuddy reappeared along with Wilson, to take

them to the cafeteria for lunch. Most of the hospital staff had

already eaten and returned to work, so there were plenty of tables

for them. An adult sat with each group of children, perhaps fearing

the possibility of a food fight. But these were reasonably well-

behaved kids and the worst thing that happened was when Paul, a large

and somewhat clumsy boy, knocked over his drink.

Cuddy was congratulating herself on how well everything had gone,

and Mrs. Bean was very proud of the children.

After lunch, Wilson led the children to the Oncology floor to visit

with some of the cancer kids. Gretchen recognized two of the children

she'd met the last time she visited.

Seeing other children who were dealing so well with their illness

was an eye opener for some of the children in the class, but a couple

of the children were actually overwhelmed by the experience. It took

a while until Wilson and Mrs. Bean could calm down a girl named

Emma and a boy named Patrick who were most affected. Wilson hoped

that their last stop with House and Cameron wouldn't be as traumatic.

House and Cameron met them in an empty patient room on the second

floor. The class, Mrs. Bean, and the chaperones crowded in.

"Hi, everyone, I'm Allison Cameron," Cameron began. "And this is..."

House interrupted her, "Uncle Greg. That's what all the kids call

me" he said.

Then he stared at Gretchen. "Except having you call me Uncle Greg

would be kinda weird." His eyes twinkled.

She giggled.

"But I guess I can call you Uncle Greg, Uncle Greg," Tommy said.

"Uncle Greg Uncle Greg?" House asked. "So nice they named me twice?"

"No, I meant, aw, forget it." Tommy was laughing.

"OK, now that we've got that out of the way, we are going to show

you what it's like to be a patient in a hospital," Cameron said.

"But we won't make you eat the food." House held his nose with two fingers and scrunched up his forehead.

Cameron rolled her eyes, but most of the children laughed. One very

serious girl, Ilene, said, "We already ate."

"So, we need a patient. Who wants to volunteer?" House asked.

Several children raised their hands, including Gretchen and Tommy.

This could be fun.

Cameron selected Elizabeth. The English girl come forward. "What's

your name?" Cameron asked.

"My name's Elizabeth Carmichael," she said clearly.

"I hope you're not Australian and will be all upset when I tell you

that you have a British accent" House said.

Elizabeth turned to her mother, who was one of the chaperones, then

back to House. "I don't have an accent, you all do," she said.

House had to smile. "OK, Elizabeth, climb up on the bed and we'll

attach some probes to see how you are."

But just as she was about to, Davidson burst into the room. "What

in Hades are you doing here?" he asked House. "You have your own

department to play games in. We need this room for a patient."

**UL 102. The Hospital Visit - Part 2.**

Davidson repeated "What are you doing here? I need this room for a

patient."

"Didn't you get Cuddy's memo?" House replied. "This room was off-

limits from two to three today."

"None of your games, none of your lies," Davidson shouted. "Dr.

Cameron, I'm surprised that you're willing to be a party to this."

"Dr. Cuddy asked me to be here," Cameron responded, a hurt look on

her face that he didn't believe her either. "We're doing a

demo for this class of children."

"Oh, come now. You expect me to believe that? Get these people out

of here at once," Davidson demanded. "My patient will be here any

minute."

"I don't know who you are. I guess you're a doctor in this hospital."

Mrs. Bean looked at his lab coat and the badge on it. "But Dr. Cuddy invited my class here today and she made all the arrangements."

"Well, I don't know who you are either. But I _am_ a doctor in this

hospital and in this department, and I have a patient to treat."

He looked at House and Cameron again. "Out. Now."

Cameron sighed. "Let's find somewhere else for this," she said. "We'll

let Dr. Cuddy deal with Davidson later." She watched Davidson leave

to get his patient.

House looked at her. If it weren't for the twenty-two children who

were watching so intently he would have stood his ground. He'd love

to be there when Cuddy heard about this, and especially when she

'dealt' with Davidson. He thought quickly.

"OK, we'll have to move our 'patient' in a wheelchair or on a gurney,"

he finally said.

"Oh, I always wanted to see what it would be like to ride in a

wheelchair!" Elizabeth said.

House nodded. "Cameron, get a chair for our princess." Cameron

left to find a wheelchair and House said, "We'll need a pusher."

_That didn't come out right, did it?_ he thought as he studied the

children. Most had been very engaged in what was going on, but one

girl had held back. "Blondie" he called to her.

Audra pointed at herself and mouthed the word 'me?'.

"Yes, you. You'll push Elizabeth." Reluctantly she came forward.

House noticed that Gretchen was smiling at him. For some reason she

approved this move.

"We're going down to the lobby floor," he told everyone. He knew they

couldn't all go down together. "Mrs. Bean, you and Mrs. Toyota bring

six kids."

"That's Mrs. Chung" Nelson's mother said, but she was smiling. She

obviously didn't mind what he'd called her.

"Elizabeth's mother, you can bring another group in the 'lift'" he

ordered.

She smiled at his use of the British term.

"Dr. Cameron and Grandma," he indicated Audra's grandmother "can bring

the rest."

Cameron returned with the wheelchair and Elizabeth sat down in it

rather tentatively. Audra took a position behind, pushing the chair

towards the elevator. House limped along with them, and Gretchen,

Tommy, Nelson and David followed them.

Gretchen stood next to Audra behind the wheelchair on the elevator.

The boys stood together near House. Gretchen noticed Audra looking

warily at her father, but didn't say anything at first.

"So, how about those Jets?" House asked the boys.

"I like the Giants," David said.

"That's what I said. How about those Giants."

Audra whispered to Gretchen, "He's really a doctor, right? And we're

doing the right thing?"

Gretchen smiled at the blond girl. "He's a diagnostician. And a

nephrologist."

"Those are kinds of doctors?"

"Yes," Gretchen confirmed.

"I wonder where we're going," Elizabeth said, starting to feel

uncomfortable.

"We'll find out soon enough," Gretchen said. "I guess he's got a

plan."

"That other doctor said he played games and told lies," Audra said.

"Audra..." Gretchen was going to deny it, but she knew it was

sometimes true. "OK. He's really a good doctor and a good person.

My Mom says that Dr. Davidson, that other doctor, can be an idiot."

Meanwhile the boys were talking football. "Uncle Greg, do you think

we can go to a football game sometime?" Tommy asked.

"We'll have to talk to your dad about that. But I'm not sure our

womenfolk would want to go, if you know what I mean."

Gretchen had heard the last exchange. "I'd love to go to a football

game, and I bet Mom and Aunt Lisa and Emily and her mom would love

to go too!"

House looked at her as if he didn't really believe it, but they'd

reached the lobby and the conversation ended. House led them to the

clinic, stopping at the nurse's station to grab a lollipop. Then

he looked at their 'patient'. "Want one?" he asked.

"Yes, I'd like that very much, please," Elizabeth said politely. "My

throat's kind of dry." So he got another one for her.

Wilson was just leaving Exam room 2. "What are you doing here?" he

asked House.

"We got kicked out of our room," House told him.

"Doctor Davidson wouldn't listen to Uncle Greg and Aunt Allie," Tommy

told his father.

"I thought we'd use one of the clinic rooms," House said.

"Lisa told you not to take the children to the clinic," Wilson warned.

"No, what she said was that I couldn't have them do my clinic hours,"

House reminded him.

Cameron and her group arrived as Wilson said, "These rooms are even

smaller than the patient rooms upstairs."

House had realized that but thought he'd try anyway.

Wilson saw his wife approaching. "Davidson threw them out of the

room in Infectious Diseases," he told her.

"That Davidson is a pompous jerk," House remarked.

"It takes one to know one," Cuddy responded. "So the only ingenious

plan you can come up with was to come to the clinic?"

"Well..." He didn't have a good riposte.

"House, didn't you discharge your patient yesterday?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, we did." House started to smile, and so did Wilson, Cuddy and

Cameron. "OK, back to the elevators!" he pointed with his cane.

_The hospital visit isn't over, of course. There'll be more coming up in the next chapter. But I'll be happy to see comments so far._


	52. Chapters 103 and 104

__The hospital visit continues. So what else can go wrong? And how will Cuddy handle Davidson?__

__Thanks for all the great comments. Keep 'em coming. You know we writers love them.__

**Chapter 103. The Hospital Visit Part 3.**

As they reached the elevators, the doors for each opened on the rest

of the class. House reached in and pushed the button for his floor.

"Change of plans," he told the shocked Mrs. Bean and Mrs. Carmichael.

"We'll meet you up there," and he let the doors close again.

Cuddy stood with them waiting for the elevators to return. "Coming

to baby-sit me?" House asked her.

"I'm going to give Davidson a piece of my mind," she said. She looked

at the floor indicators once more, then turned towards the stairs.

"Want me to go with you?" Wilson offered.

"No, after all my practice with House, this should be a piece of

cake," the administrator told her husband.

Cuddy headed for the room they'd originally used. She found Dr.

Davidson checking his patient's monitors, and jotting down some notes

on his chart.

"Davidson, didn't you get my memo? This room was reserved for a

fourth-grade class visit. My _son's_ fourth-grade class visit." For

now she was holding tightly to her anger.

"You mean House wasn't lying?" He sounded amazed.

"You are such a fool. You should have realized that he was telling

the truth when Dr. Cameron and Mrs. Bean confirmed what he said." Her face was getting redder.

"Dr. Cuddy, you and your friends have gotten away with too much at

this hospital for too long, using it as you own private playground,"

he said defensively. "I just thought it was more of the same."

This only made Cuddy angrier. "You really are a pompous, arrogant, obnoxious jerk," she shouted.

Then in a deceptively calmer voice she went on. "It was a school

trip to educate nine-year-old kids, to prepare them so they wouldn't

be frightened if they were ever really patients themselves. Your

behavior in front of those children was despicable and only proves

what an idiot you really are. I have no choice but to report this

to Taylor and to file a complaint with the hospital Human Resources

department."

"Oh come now, you wouldn't really do that," he said.

"Oh, but I will. You haven't heard the end of this." She turned and

walked off, her stilettos emphasizing her determination to make

Davidson's life miserable.

As they waited in the lobby for the elevators to return, Audra's

grandmother asked Cameron, "What happens now?"

"There's another room we can use. We'll go there," she answered in

a matter-of-fact voice, trying to calm the confused woman.

But Mrs. Swenson's granddaughter had finally put together everything

Gretchen had said about 'Uncle Greg' and about her father. The

clincher was when Dr. Cameron called him 'House'. And of course Dr.

Cameron, who looked so much like Gretchen, was her mother.

The elevators returned and they got on. When they arrived at the

Diagnostics floor, the other children and chaperones were waiting

for them. House and Cameron led them all to the room, passing Chase

and Sullivan who were standing in the hallway talking.

"Sullivan, we could use you in here," House told his duckling.

She looked at the kids, recognizing Gretchen and Tommy of course.

She'd heard about their visit and had been disappointed that she

hadn't been able to be involved.

"Sure," she said. They all squeezed into the room as they had the

other one. Elizabeth climbed onto the bed, and Cameron took the

wheelchair away to make more room.

"OK, Dr. Sullivan will attach the nanoprobes to you," House told

Elizabeth, then looked at her mother for permission to do that. Mrs.

Carmichael nodded slightly and Sullivan began the process.

"These monitors will show your temperature and blood pressure.

They'll also show your heart rate, the amount of oxygen in your blood

and whether you've been drinking alcohol." He peered at her face.

"You don't do that do you?" he asked.

"Noooo," she said, grinning at him.

The probes were attached and the instruments started to light-up.

House did a double take, looking again at Elizabeth and back to the

numbers that were showing up. He turned to Mrs. Carmichael, and in

a much less playful voice asked, "How long has your daughter been

sick?"

"She's not ill," the girl's mother protested, but when he continued

to stare at her she admitted, "She just had a little cold the other

day. I gave her some antihistamines and children's Tylenol."

"And she still has a fever of 100.5," House exclaimed.

"Her blood pressure and heart rate are low," Sullivan added.

"Mrs. Carmichael, I'm afraid your daughter IS sick," Cameron said.

**UL 104. WHAT IF I NURSED THIS INFECTION?**

"Allie, take the other kids away," a suddenly serious House ordered.

Cameron nodded. "Let's go kids. We have to let Dr. House and Dr.

Sullivan examine Elizabeth. Lydia, if you'd like to stay with your

daughter..."

"Of course," Lydia Carmichael said.

The looks on the children's faces, and even some of the adults,

ranged from disbelief to confusion.

"Mom, does Elizabeth have the Brazilian flu?" Gretchen asked.

"We don't know yet, Sweetie," Cameron told her daughter. "That's what

your dad and Sully will try to find out."

"She's really sick?" Audra asked.

"Yes, Audra. It's probably not serious since she didn't feel sick,

but we've got to find out what's wrong so we know how to make her

well again." Cameron turned to the teacher. "Mrs. Bean, please take

your group back to the ground floor. Maybe we can use one of the

classrooms and talk about what the children have seen today."

"That sounds like a good idea," Mrs. Bean agreed, starting to lead a

group of children out.

"Why are there classrooms in a hospital?" Nelson wanted to know.

"Because it's a teaching hospital where people learn to be good

doctors," Cameron replied simply. "Mrs. Swenson, you can take the

group you and I had before and I'll take House's group. Mrs. Chung,

you can take Mrs. Carmichael's group." She looked over to see Sully

already taking blood from the English girl and knew she was leaving

her in good hands.

Once they were all on the ground floor again, she led the group to

one of the medical school lecture rooms. She checked the schedule

for the room, posted on the door. Luckily the next class wasn't

scheduled to start until five PM.

"Now where are you going?" Dr. Cuddy had thought they were safely

ensconced in the patient room in Diagnostics.

"The girl who was the 'patient' for our demo is really sick," Cameron

explained. "House and Sullivan are examining her."

"We're just taking the rest of the children to a classroom to talk

about their day at the hospital," Mrs. Bean added.

Cuddy nodded her agreement. "Cameron, why don't you go back to

Diagnostics and help House and Sullivan. I'll stay with Mrs. Bean

and the class."

Cameron arrived back in Diagnostics to find Lydia Carmichael alone

with her daughter. "Where are Dr. House and Dr. Sullivan?" she

asked.

"I think Dr. Sullivan is running blood tests. Dr. House walked out

without saying a word a couple of minutes ago," the girl's mother

replied.

"Dr. Cameron, am I really sick?" Elizabeth asked. "I don't feel

that bad."

Cameron walked over to the bed and brushed a hand over the girl's

forehead. Clammy in addition to warm. She smiled at her, saying,

"You have symptoms that you're sick so we have to check them out.

Besides the cold or whatever last week, have you felt sick at all?

Running nose, sore throat, anything like that?"

"My throat felt a little dry before. Does that count?" Elizabeth

asked. "Dr. House gave me a lolly when we were in the clinic and it

made it feel better. Before he left he looked at my throat and ears."

Sullivan returned. "It doesn't appear to be the Brazilian flu," she

reported. "Where's House?"

"Mrs. Carmichael said he left maybe five-ten minutes ago," Cameron

said. "Did you find anything else?"

"Her white blood cell count is slightly elevated. It's like she has

a low-grade infection and her body hasn't decided whether it wants

to fight it."

Cameron nodded. She'd been thinking the same thing. Something was

tickling the back of her mind.

Meanwhile, the rest of Elizabeth's class filed into the lecture hall

and took seats along with Mrs. Chung and Mrs. Swenson. Dr. Cuddy and

Mrs. Bean stood at the front of the room, knowing that the kids had

been through a long day and that some of them, maybe most, might be

confused by some of the events.

Mrs. Bean spoke first, trying to get them to think positively. "What

was your favorite thing that happened at the hospital today?" she

asked.

"I loved seeing the babies." Monique was first to respond. "Maybe

I'll be a baby nurse or even a doctor when I grow up."

David was next. "I had my hand x-rayed. That was way cool!"

Another boy named Lee liked seeing the very sharp scalpels. Gretchen

was glad she'd seen some of the cancer kids she'd met before.

"I liked lunch," Josh said, and everyone laughed.

"At least you're honest," Dr. Cuddy told him.

"But why did we have to go down and up and then down again in the

elevators so many times?" Nathan wanted to know.

Cuddy didn't know how to explain Davidson's behavior, but she made

an attempt. "We tried to take you to parts of the hospital where

no one had to work. But this is a very busy hospital and that wasn't

completely possible."

"It's a good thing we were here when we found out Elizabeth was sick,"

Tommy said.

"That's right," his mother agreed. "I hope that overall you had a

very good day here, but that you won't have to come here again except

to visit."


	53. Chapters 105 and 106

__A short one tonight, wrapping up the hospital visit and the evening after.__

__Thanks for all the great comments. Keep 'em coming. You know we writers love them even more than chocolate.__

**Chapter 105. A PERFECT ENDING TO A NOT-SO-PERFECT DAY**

The children and their chaperones went back to the lobby with Cuddy to wait for their school bus.

"Dr. Cuddy, thank you so much for making this day possible," Mrs.

Bean said, in all sincerity. "Despite everything, I think the

children had a great time and learned a lot." She looked around at the many smiling faces.

"I know it wasn't all perfect, but I agree. They did enjoy it," Cuddy

said. "I'm especially grateful to you and Mrs. Swenson and Mrs.

Chung for remaining calm through everything."

"To tell you the truth, I found it fascinating myself," Mrs. Chung

said.

"Well, although Tommy won't be in my class next year," Mrs. Bean said "I

hope that I can bring my next class to the hospital for a visit."

"Of course," Cuddy agreed. "We can make it a yearly thing."

In a corner near the door, Gretchen asked Audra, "Do you still hate hospitals?"

The shorter girl studied her. "I guess I always will."

"But why?" Gretchen had grown up around hospitals and really couldn't

understand.

"You're comfortable here because your parents are doctors," Audra

began. "But...but every time I've ever been in a hospital something

disastrous happened. Even today. I just hope Elizabeth isn't going

to die like my mother did." Audra was practically in tears.

Her grandmother came over to her and put a comforting arm around her

shoulders.

Gretchen looked at her friend's face and felt the need to reassure

her. "Oh, Audra, my mom and dad are wonderful doctors. They'll find

out what's wrong with Elizabeth and she'll be just fine. I...I didn't

know about your mother."

Mrs. Swenson looked at Gretchen's caring eyes and told her, "Audra's

mother was very sick for a long time. I wanted to be with her on

this trip because I was afraid that being in a hospital would upset

her." She turned to her granddaughter. "Audra, you've done very well

today. And I hope you'll learn that hospitals really aren't scary or

bad places. Just as Gretchen says, the doctors do all they can to

cure people."

Audra nodded but didn't seem convinced.

"Jahzara!" they suddenly heard Tommy cry out. Gretchen looked up and

saw the bronze-skinned teenager entering the hospital, wearing a

candy-stripers outfit and accompanied by a tall, slender brunette.

"Hi, Tommy" Jahzara said. "What are you doing here?"

"We had a class trip to tour the hospital," he responded.

Gretchen walked over to them. "Hi Jahzara," she said, smiling. "I

didn't know you volunteered here."

"Yes, I just started a few weeks ago. And this is a friend of mine,

Maria Hays. She's starting today." Jahzara told her. "I knew you'd

moved here. Uncle Eric told me. But I didn't know you were in Tommy's

class."

"Yes, isn't that outrageous?" Gretchen asked.

"Well, we'd better go, but I hope we see you soon. Bye." And the two

teens headed to the elevators.

"What else did Dr. House say before he left?" Cameron asked

Elizabeth.

"He asked how long we'd lived here," Lydia answered for her daughter.

"How long?" Cameron wanted to know too.

"We moved here at the end of August, just before school started,"

Lydia told her. "My husband is here for a two-year visiting

professorship at the University."

"And before that you lived in England."

"That's right," Lydia confirmed.

"Mom, Dr. House left just after you told him about Aunt Lucinda,"

Elizabeth remembered.

"Aunt Lucinda?" Cameron asked.

"We spent two weeks with my sister in Costa Rica before we came

here."

"Oh!" Now Cameron knew where House was and what he was probably

doing. "Elizabeth, did you feel sick at all when you first arrived

in New Jersey?"

"No," the girl said shaking her head, but there was a lack of

conviction. "Well, you know, I guess I had the sniffles then, but

Mom said it was because of the change of climate or something."

"The climate in New Jersey isn't that different than that in England

and the vegetation isn't too different either. You may have picked

up an infection of some kind in Costa Rica. We just have to find out

which one." Cameron turned to Sullivan. "We should probably start

her on a broad spectrum antibiotic until we know what it is."

Sully nodded and went to order what they needed.

Before she returned, House entered the room, a slight smile on his

lips.

"I just checked the CDC reports. There's an epidemic of strep in

Costa Rica," he reported. "Do a throat culture and start her on IVIG."

Cameron breathed a sigh of relief. If that's what it was, it was

easily treatable. The girl hadn't developed Scarlet Fever so it was

likely she had a mild case.

**Chapter 106. WE BELONG TO A MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY**

"Will Elizabeth be OK?" Gretchen asked her parents that evening.

"You know we can't talk about a patient's diagnosis," Cameron began.

"She'll be OK," House finished.

"The other kids in the class were worried about her," Gretchen said.

They'd asked Cuddy several times whether she was really sick.

"But I think they liked the hospital trip today. Well, all except

Audra. She still hates hospitals."

"Blondie? Yeah, what's up with her?" House asked out of curiosity.

He remembered how Gretchen had approved his selection of Audra to

push the wheelchair.

"Her Mom was very sick and in a hospital for a long time before she

died. I guess hospitals remind her of that time," Gretchen explained.

"She lives with her grandparents," Cameron told him. "Her grandmother,

Mrs. Swenson, says she's really sad a lot. She's happy Audra has

Gretchen for a friend."

Gretchen looked at her parents but thought about Audra's situation.

"I know how I'd feel if I ever lost either one of you. I am sooo

lucky to have such great parents."

"Oh, Sweetie. We both love you very much," her mother said. "You're

everything anyone would ever want in a child."

Gretchen smiled, but she knew that was how her mother felt about

her. Then her father surprised her by adding. "You are one terrific

kid, you know. Every day you do something else that makes me proud

to be your dad."

She hugged him tightly, then hugged her mother just as tightly.

"I guess that wasn't a complete disaster," Cuddy told her husband as

they cleared the table after dinner. Tommy had eaten and then

disappeared into his room to finish his homework so he could watch

his favorite TV show later.

"Actually, I think it went very well," Wilson said, carrying the

plates to the dishwasher. Lisa was too hard on herself, he thought.

"Do you think that Davidson was right? Jim, do I allow my 'friends'

to get away with things?" She didn't wait for him to answer these

questions. "I know people have been saying for years that I'm way

too easy on House."

"Lisa, don't listen to Davidson. It's just...sour grapes. He had

Taylor convinced that he walked on water and you pulled that out

from under him by asking Taylor to hire Cameron. Now she's running

rings around him, showing what a really excellent doctor can do."

"Do you really think that's all it is?" Cuddy was willing to be

convinced.

He put everything down and put his hands on her shoulders. "You have

run that hospital for over fifteen years. You've made it a successful

and respected teaching hospital. You. No one else. Whatever you did.

However you did it. It worked." He looked at her anxious face. "And

that jerk Davidson has no right, no cause to question you or any of

your actions."

"Oh, Jimmy, I love you." She threw her arms around his neck and

kissed him passionately. "Let's just leave all this for later and

let me show you how much."


	54. Chapters 107 and 108

__I had these all ready to post a couple of nights ago, but it looks like I never got them on FF.__

__Anyway, you will now be introduced to two cats, and an additional plotline.__

__Hope you enjoy.__

**Chapter 107. MAKING PLANS**

The next day, Mrs. Bean's class was back in their usual classroom. Back to reading, writing and 'rithmatic. Normally she would have had them write

reports on their experiences at the hospital, but she'd decided she'd

skip that this time.

She did think it was important to tell them about their classmate.

"Elizabeth's mother called the school to say she's getting better.

Her fever is gone and she'll be fine soon," she announced.

"How long until she can come back to school?" Monique asked.

"A few days, maybe a week." Mrs. Bean could see the relief

on some of the children's faces.

"But she was my partner for the state project. Who will do New Jersey

with me?" Ruth asked. Gretchen saw Audra's eyes roll.

"I'm sure she'll be able to finish it with you. She should be back

before your reports are due," Mrs. Bean said.

Later, when the class was given time to work on those projects,

Audra asked Gretchen, "Could you believe that Ruth? She's always

whining about something. And she was more worried about her report

than about Elizabeth."

Gretchen wasn't sure what to comment about Ruth, so instead she asked,

"Do you want to go visit Elizabeth with me?"

"Not while she's in the hospital," Audra insisted, but added, "Maybe

when she gets home."

"My mom or your Grandmother can take us, maybe over the weekend

some time."

Audra actually smiled at her. "That's a good idea."

Wilson walked into the main lab of the hospital. "Marty," he called to

his brother who was working at a computer and hadn't noticed him.

"Oh, hi Jim. I didn't see you come in. What brings you to my lair?"

"I just wanted to come by and thank you for helping with the tours

yesterday," the oncologist said.

"It was my pleasure. It was fun meeting Tommy's classmates," Marty

said. "I hear there was a real to-do in the afternoon."

"One of the Infectious Disease doctors kicked House, Cameron and the

kids out of the room they were using for a demo."

"Did they find another room?"

"Yes," Wilson nodded. "But then they found out that one of the kids

was sick."

Marty whistled. "Bummer."

"Still, the kids had a good day thanks to all the volunteers,

including you, and the teacher wants to do it again next year."

"Well, count me in." Marty grinned. "The tall girl, the one with the

very blue eyes, that was House's daughter?"

Wilson nodded. "Yes, Gretchen."

"Pretty girl, and she had some good questions."

"With parents like House and Cameron she was bound to be very smart."

"Your Tommy is smart, too," Marty told his brother. "I like spending

time with him."

"I have an idea," Wilson said. "Why don't you have dinner with us

this evening? It'll have to be a kid-friendly place, of course."

"I'd like that very much," Marty said.

"Have you seen Davidson this morning?" were the first words out of

Lloyd's mouth when she entered the office.

"I think I'd better stay away from him for a while," Cameron responded

with a smirk. "I can't be responsible for what I might do to him if

I do see him."

"Well, I hear Cuddy's already done it. Filed complaints with Taylor

and the HR department." Lloyd repeated the rumors that were spreading

through PPTH faster than the most rampant contagious disease.

"He's really a good doctor," Cameron said, actually defending

Davidson. "He's just too arrogant for his own good."

"At least your..." she didn't know what to call him. "House deserves

his ego. Davidson is nowhere near as brilliant."

"Do you want me to tell him you said so?" Cameron asked, laughing.

Lloyd was horrified. "Don't you dare!"

"Well, I guess we'd better do rounds," Cameron said, getting up from

her desk. "Oh, and Gretchen asked when she could meet your cats."

"Anytime really. I'm free most evenings."

"How about tonight? Then we can take you out to dinner," Cameron

suggested.

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Lloyd protested.

"We want to," Cameron insisted. "Now I'm going to see how our latest

Brazilian flu patient is doing."

**UL 108. FOOD FOR THOUGHT**

Cameron knocked on Lloyd's apartment door at seven that evening.

House and Gretchen stood behind her in the hallway. Lloyd must have

been waiting, or else the apartment was small, but she opened the

door immediately, ushering them into the entryway.

An orange and white tabby peeked at them from around a corner,

tentatively walked half the distance towards them, then scooted back

for the safety of the wall. Gretchen laughed at her antics.

"That's Ginger," Lloyd said. "She's very shy and skittish. And that's

Fred." She indicated a black and white striped cat, sitting

on a windowsill in the dining room, looking out the window and

studiously ignoring the humans. He seemed fascinated by the lights

of the passing cars, but then, who knew what cats saw with their

supposedly excellent night vision?

Gretchen walked over to pet him. He looked at her disdainfully, but

let her run her hand over his silky coat, then went back to his

guard cat duties.

Lloyd had changed into jeans and a red sweater and her usually messy

mousy hair was pulled into a much neater ponytail. "I'm ready.

Where are we going?" she asked.

"Have you ever been to Games and Grub?" Gretchen asked. It was

becoming one of her favorite places.

"No, but I've heard they have awesome games," Lloyd said.

"Well I, for one, am hungry." House tried to hurry them along.

Lloyd closed and locked the door behind them, and they were on

their way.

The restaurant wasn't far. They were soon seated at a table,

looking over the menus. Gretchen always got the same thing, so her

eyes traveled around the room while she waited for the adults to

make up their minds.

"Tommy!" she suddenly shouted. House, Cameron and Lloyd looked up

and also spotted the Wilsons, who were waiting to be seated.

"You sound like you haven't seen him for weeks," House said, smirking

at his daughter. "What's it been? Three or four hours?"

"I was just surprised to see him," Gretchen responded. "Maybe we can

all sit together."

House marveled again at how social she was. He didn't think she got

that from him or Cameron. But it was Cameron who got up and asked

the hostess to arrange for all of them to sit together. And it was

Cameron who introduced Marty Wilson to Lloyd.

"Marty took over for Schultz in the lab," she told her colleague.

"Nancy works with me in the Infectious Disease Department," she told

Wilson's brother.

"So I'm the only one here who's not a doctor," Marty said.

"I'm not a doctor," Tommy pointed out.

"Me neither," Gretchen said, ungrammatically.

The adults all laughed.

They gave their server their orders, mostly burgers or sandwiches

with all sorts of add-ons and sides. While they waited, they munched

on the peanuts from the buckets on the tables and sipped at their

drinks.

"So, when are we going to a football game?" Tommy asked.

House had completely forgotten his discussion with the boy about

that.

"Yeah, Dad, when are we going?" Gretchen joined in.

"What football game?" Wilson asked.

"We spent so much time in the elevator the other day, that naturally

we started talking about football," House replied to his friend.

Wilson didn't get that at all. "You told my son we were going to

a football game? When were you going to tell me?"

"Probably when he asked you to pay for the tickets," Cameron said.

"Oh, Dad, can we go?" Tommy began to plead.

"I think it could be fun," Cuddy said. "We had a great time at the

baseball game."

What could Wilson say? "You want in too?" he asked his brother.

"I haven't been to a game in years. Sure," Marty said.

"I'd like to go too," Lloyd found herself saying, then quickly added, "I'll pay for my own ticket."

"Fine," Wilson said resignedly, with a roll of his eyes.

"Uncle Marty hasn't ever been here before," Tommy told Gretchen as

they continued to wait for their food.

"Lloyd hasn't either," the girl replied. "Maybe we can show them some

games after we eat."

"Yeah. I like the one with the 'bots and the bunnies," Tommy said,

describing one that was a favorite of Gretchen's, too.

But the girl was already devising a plan that she wouldn't tell

Tommy about until they were away from the adults.

The food arrived quickly and everyone dug in. The burgers and

sandwiches were delicious, so it was quiet for a while. They were

all too busy eating to talk.

Soon Gretchen and Tommy had finished their burgers, which were not

quite as large as the adult's, and asked to be excused to go play

games. Once they were in the game room, before they began to play,

Gretchen asked Tommy, "Wouldn't it be great if your Uncle Marty and

Dr. Lloyd fell in love?"

"Huh?" Tommy's reaction wasn't quite what Gretchen had expected.

Then she realized. He was a boy and boys didn't think about things

like that the way girls did. She was so used to talking to Emily

about 'who liked who', but Tommy wasn't Emily. She might have to

do this alone. She let it drop, walked over to the game Tommy

had been describing earlier, put in her token and they began to

play.


	55. Chapters 109, 110 and 111

__The next two chapters were so short I threw in a third. The title of the third one, by the way, is from a Barenaked Ladies song from a few years ago.__

__Hope you enjoy each of these very different chapters.__

**Chapter 109. Friendship, Friendship, Just the Perfect Blendship**

Mrs. Swenson and Audra came by for Gretchen Saturday afternoon and they drove to the Carmichael house. Mrs. Carmichael had been happy to hear that the girls were coming to visit Elizabeth. She'd been home from the hospital for two days and was becoming bored.

"I'll pick them up in two hours," Audra's grandmother promised as she waved goodbye and left.

"Elizabeth's sitting in the family room watching a video." Lydia Carmichael led the girls through the well-furnished house. Gretchen wondered why they needed such fancy stuff if they were only staying in New Jersey for two years.

They found Elizabeth sitting on a leather sofa, an afghan draped around her shoulders. A movie was playing on the large-screen TV, one that Gretchen knew well, one of the Harry Potter films, but Audra had never seen it.

"Haven't you ever read any of the Harry Potter books?" Gretchen asked, incredulously.

"No. Aren't they all about magic and witches and stuff?" Audra asked.

"Well, in a way they are. But they're also about making friends and growing up and most of all learning to not be afraid to use your abilities to help others," Gretchen explained.

"I've read all but the last one," Elizabeth said. "The first three were short and quick to read, but the rest are long and took a while."

"Grandfather won't let me read books like those," Audra said.

"There are some people who have religious objections to them." Elizabeth nodded, showing she understood. "I had a friend in England who wasn't allowed to read them."

Gretchen was thinking about this when a boy of about six came into the room. From his fair coloring, it was obvious he was Elizabeth's brother.

"Can I watch?" he asked.

"It's almost over," his sister said. "Gareth, these are my new friends, Gretchen and Audra."

"Hi, Gareth," Gretchen said, but Audra just studied the boy. "I don't have any brothers or sisters but I'd like one," Gretchen went on. Then she looked at Audra, who didn't have a brother or sister either and never would. She didn't know how to take back what she'd said. But maybe Audra hadn't heard. The blond girl was studiously ignoring the end of the movie and walking around the room looking at the bookshelves full of books and other media.

"Did you read all of these books and watch all these movies?" Audra finally asked.

"Some are my mom's and some are my dad's," Elizabeth said. "Those shelves over there are mine." She pointed to a set of shelves crammed with children's books and films.

Audra seemed fascinated. "I read a lot, but I've never read most of these."

"If you want to borrow any, you can," Elizabeth said.

Gretchen walked over and pulled out one of her favorites 'A Ring of Bright Water'. "This is an excellent book and I don't think your grandparents would object. You can ask them before you read it."

"Yes that's a good one," Elizabeth agreed.

"I liked it too," Gareth said.

Audra looked at the cover. "I've never read it, but I think I read something else by the same author."

The girls continued to talk about books for a while, but before they knew it the two hours were up and Audra's grandmother was back to pick up Audra and Gretchen.

"I'm glad you both came over today," Elizabeth said. As Gretchen and Audra left, each of the girls now felt that they'd made two new friends.

**Chapter 110. - Jealousy**

"I'm home!" Gretchen called out as she walked through the door.

"Hi Sweetie," Cameron responded from the kitchen. "I'm in here. How's Elizabeth?"

"She seems much better." Gretchen took a drink box from the refrigerator.

"Emily called while you were gone," Cameron told her daughter.

"Why didn't she call my cell?"

"I told her you were visiting a friend."

"I'll call her right back." Gretchen grabbed the kitchen phone and speed-dialed.

"Em, Hi! My mom said you called."

"She said you were at a friend's house," Emily said, almost as an accusation.

"Yes, her name's Elizabeth. Remember, I told you she got sick during our school trip?"

"No, you didn't tell me," Emily corrected. "Tommy did."

"Well, she's home from the hospital so Audra and I went to visit her," Gretchen tried to explain.

"And I suppose Audra's another friend." The way she said the word this time made it sound like something bad.

"Yes." Gretchen ignored Emily's attitude. "She's the girl who's working on the state project with me."

Emily didn't say anything. Gretchen felt she finally had to. "Em, neither of these girls are taking your place as my best friend."

But Emily wasn't really listening. "Why did everything have to change? Why did you have to move away and go to another school?" she complained. "I don't mean to whine, but why?"

"Em, things change. I guess we're...we're both growing up. You don't want to stay nine forever, do you?" She could picture Emily shrug or frown or something. "Aren't you glad we met Tommy?"

"Well, yes," Emily admitted, then said more emphatically "Yes I am."

"So we're going to meet lots of new people. Each of us," Gretchen said. Then she had an idea. "After we move into our house and you and your mom move to New Jersey, why don't we have a slumber party? I'll invite a few kids from my school and you'll invite your new friends from yours." The more she thought about it, the more enthused she was getting. She hoped Emily liked the idea too. "So, Em, what do you think?"

"Well, maybe." At least she was thinking about it.

"Just remember," Gretchen said, as she'd said a few times recently "We'll always be bestest buddies."

"Promise?" Em asked.

"Of course," Gretchen said.

"But what about Tommy?"

"We'll always be the Three Amigos," Gretchen stated. "But there are some things I can't talk to him about and I don't know Audra or Elizabeth well enough yet to talk to them about either. Like the plan I was talking to you about the other day."

"You mean the one about Tommy's uncle and your mom's friend?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"I've actually been thinking about that." Em sounded happier than she had. She described her idea, all signs of jealousy and sadness forgotten, especially when Gretchen gave her a thumbs up.

**Chapter 111. THEN ONE DAY I WAS NOT ALONE, EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED,**

**EVERYTHING WAS STRANGE**

Sullivan entered House's office Monday morning with papers for him

to sign. As she placed them on his desk, the light reflected off

her ring and House really looked at it for the first time.

It occurred to him that he'd never gotten Cameron a ring, that

they'd never even discussed marriage since she agreed to his

proposal in the hospital after the accident. He hadn't thought

about it and she hadn't mentioned it either. Had she changed her

mind? Somehow he hoped not. Then was she content with things the way

they were? Maybe they were going so well there was no need for any

changes. At least he knew she was planning on staying with him.

They'd bought a house together, after all. A house. They'd be moving soon. He'd leave the apartment where he'd lived for so many years, mostly alone. He could do that, he could be flexible despite what people said, he told himself, but he wasn't sure he was convinced.

He'd adjusted to the changes in his life since his daughter had come

into it. He knew both Cameron and Gretchen had worked hard to make

those changes as painless as possible for him. Still, he no longer

lived alone. He shared his abode with two females! So many changes

from the trivial ones like pantyhose occasionally hanging in the

bathroom to more substantial ones like having to check with them

before making plans. The apartment even smelled different. A good

different for the most part. Pleasant even. But different. How many

more changes would the move to the house mean?

"House?" Sullivan's voice broke through his thoughts. It was his

name, she wasn't reading his thoughts he told himself. She was still

waiting. House signed the papers quickly and then watched the short

woman leave.

Her wedding to Chase was in another five weeks, no wait, four. Why

had she asked him to walk her down the aisle? (and maybe more

important, why had he agreed?) Did she really think of him as a

father figure? He knew Chase had at times, and chuckled to think

how almost incestuous that made them.

It amazed him, really, that Chase had picked this woman, but he

approved Chase's choice. It was one of the best decisions Chase had

ever made.

But did walking Sully down the aisle obligate him in some way? She

was just one of his ducklings, right? She wasn't his daughter. He

had a daughter. And that daughter would also have a part in the

wedding. He'd never seen her dressed up and was looking forward to

that part. His daughter, that mix of the all-to-familiar and the

totally inexplicable. How had that skinny little kid changed his

life in so many ways? He smiled to himself as he always did when he

thought about her.

Then the smile faded a bit. Things had changed enough. Did they

really have to change more by having another child? What was he

thinking wanting to father a child at fifty-seven? Just because he

hadn't experienced Gretchen's infancy or ever seen a pregnant

Cameron?

But he wasn't the only one who wanted this. Cameron wanted another

child. Gretchen, maybe delusionally, wanted a sibling. Was part of

the reason he wanted this so much because he wanted to make them,

dare he say it, happy?

He looked at his watch. Almost noon. Well, Cameron had a lunchtime

meeting in her department, so he wouldn't be having lunch with her.

He glanced through the glass walls and saw that Wilson's office was

empty. Must still be in surgery.

No one would miss him for a while. He made a decision, grabbed his

cane and his cap and left. He should have plenty of time to do what

he had to do.


	56. Chapters 112 and 113

__After those short chapters here are a couple that are quite a bit longer.__

**Chapter 112. Only the Lonely (Subtitle: Conversations with Gretchen)**

"Emily had a good idea about getting your Uncle Marty and Dr. Lloyd

together." Gretchen and Tommy were waiting with the other members

of the chess club for the teacher in charge, Mr. Sims.

"Yeah, she told me," the boy said. "But I still don't know why you

want to."

"Don't you want your uncle to be happy?"

"Well, I guess so."

"Do you think he's happy living alone?" she asked.

"I don't know. I never asked him." Tommy thought for a minute. "I

think he's happy with his new job. He's been alone a long time. Maybe

that's what he wants."

Gretchen pondered that viewpoint. "I'd still like to try Em's plan

and we'll need your help."

Tommy shrugged. He was willing, as long as it didn't hurt anyone,

but he still wasn't sure it was necessary. "What do you want me to

do?"

"Well, to start, you can find out if he likes her."

"But he only met her once," Tommy protested.

"I know. You'll also have to find out what he likes to eat, things

like that."

"I already know what he likes to eat, steak and potatoes and

meatballs and spaghetti."

"All at the same time?" Gretchen's eyes went wide.

"No, silly. The steak with the potatoes and the meatballs with the

spaghetti."

"Well, that's good to know. And we know he likes video games, right?

And football. What else?" Gretchen prompted.

"I don't know, but I can find out," the boy said.

The teacher still hadn't arrived. The assistant principal stuck her

head in the door and saw the waiting children. She entered and told

them that Mr. Sims had gone home sick. "Call your parents to come

and get you," she advised.

"Maybe we should just get a ride to the hospital," Tommy suggested to

Gretchen. "I wouldn't want to disturb my parents so early."

Gretchen agreed that was a good idea, so when David's mother came for

him, they asked her to drive them there. She was more than happy to.

The two children entered the hospital and headed straight for Cuddy's

office.

"Can I help you?" asked a young man sitting at the desk in the outer

office.

"You must be my Mom's new secretary," Tommy said.

"Assistant," the young man corrected.

"Right, assistant. Is my Mom in her office?" the boy asked.

"She's in a conference call."

"Maybe I'll go find my Mom's office," Gretchen said. "Wanna come?"

"No, I'll wait here. I'll see you later." He sat down

in a chair as Gretchen left.

She walked to the elevators. Although she'd never been to her

mother's office, she knew it was in the Infectious Disease department

and she knew where that was. As she stood waiting, someone else

approached.

"You shouldn't be wandering around this hospital alone, little girl,"

he said.

She looked up at Dr. Davidson, who didn't seem to recognize her. "I'm

on my way to my mother's office," she said, then smiled her most

fetching smile at him. "Maybe you can take me there, Dr. Davidson."

"How do you know my name?" he asked suspiciously. The elevator doors

opened and they got on.

"I'm Dr. Cameron's daughter, Gretchen," she announced.

"Oh." He didn't sound happy, but now that she'd mentioned it he saw

the resemblance. They'd reached their floor, and he said, "Well, c'mon

with me. Although your mother's a very busy doctor, and she doesn't

need the distraction of having you here."

"I always used to wait for her in her office after school when we

lived in Albany. And I was really no bother to anyone. I know how to stay out of the way."

"Well, here's her office," he said, stopping at the door. "She shares

it with Dr. Lloyd."

"Yes, I know," Gretchen said. "Oh, and Dr. Davidson, thanks very much

for showing me the way."

He walked off saying something that sounded like 'harumph'.

The office was empty. Gretchen sat down at her mother's desk, at

least she presumed it was from the pictures of her dad and her on it.

Lloyd came in and glanced at her. "Mercy, Dr. Cameron, you've shrunk

and gotten a whole lot younger."

Gretchen giggled. "Hi, Dr. Lloyd. Will my mom be coming soon?"

"She's with a patient. The Brazilian flu but with complications,

since the boy also has leukemia." Lloyd knew Gretchen could handle

hearing this although she wondered whether it was ethical to tell

her this much about a patient.

"Poor boy!" Gretchen said. "How old is he?"

"He's twelve and he's been dealing with his illness for several

years, but his weakened immune system made him susceptible to the

flu. Your Mom will figure out what to do," Lloyd said to reassure

Gretchen.

Hearing about the sick boy almost made Gretchen forget some of the

things she wanted to ask Lloyd. "Dr. Lloyd, do you like being a

doctor? Being around sick people all the time? I mean, sometimes you

can't make them better, sometimes they even die," Gretchen said in

hushed tones.

"But the part about trying to make them better is why I became a

doctor. Every life I save, everyone I cure, feels like a blessing,"

Lloyd replied.

"You like taking care of people, but you live alone," Gretchen stated,

wondering how Lloyd would explain this fact.

"I have Fred and Ginger to take care of." Lloyd smiled at her.

"But they seem to mostly ignore people or run away from them,"

Gretchen said.

Lloyd laughed. "Gretchen, I like my life the way it is."

Cameron found them in the office chatting. "I think we're finally

making progress with Peter," she told Lloyd.

"Is that the boy with leukemia and the Brazilian flu?" Gretchen

asked.

Cameron glanced at Lloyd, realizing that she must have told the girl

about the patient.

"Yes, sweetie. But what are you doing here?"

"Chess club was canceled and Tommy and I got a ride to the hospital

with David's mother."

Lloyd left them alone to check on some test results.

"Mom, do you think everyone should be happy? That no one should be

alone?" Gretchen asked.

"Do you think that everyone needs connections to other people to be

happy?" Cameron countered. "There's a difference between being alone

and being lonely."

"I guess I understand that. Even I like my own space sometimes. But

I enjoy being with other people so much that I forget that not

everyone is like that. Dad isn't, is he? And Tommy's Uncle Marty and

Dr. Lloyd? And I guess Audra isn't either."

"So you do understand."

"Maybe I don't completely understand it, but I can accept it. Dad's

happy we're here, isn't he? Happier than he was before?" She needed

to know.

"'Happiness' is a funny thing, sweetheart" Cameron said, searching

for the words to explain. "Some people don't know what it's like to

be happy, and others don't care whether they're happy or not."

"Really?" Gretchen asked. "I never thought of that. I like being

happy and I know I'm very happy living in New Jersey with you and

dad."

"I'm happy here too," her mother said.

Gretchen was quiet for a few minutes, trying to digest what her

mother and other people had told her. Finally she said, "But I still

think Tommy's uncle and Dr. Lloyd would make a cute couple."

"You're such a romantic!" Cameron said with a smile.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Gretchen smiled too.

**Chapter 113. HIGH ANXIETY**

_Disclaimer: This chapter was not planned. It was not part of the_

_outline I had for this set of chapters, but instead just played out_

_in my mind when I was trying to work out the details of a later_

_chapter. It was like a motion picture, complete with actions and_

_dialog. But it fit with what I'd been trying to do, so here it is._

_Please let me know what you think._

Cameron looked at her watch. It was 4:45. "I'll go check on my

patient and then we can find your dad and go home."

Gretchen nodded and picked up her school pouch, stowing

everything she'd removed while she'd waited for her mother.

They assumed they'd find House in his office, but when they got there

it was dark and empty. Yen sat alone in the conference room.

"Yen, do you know where House is?" Cameron asked the duckling.

"I think I saw him go out lunchtime, but I haven't seen him since,"

Yen replied.

"Well, thanks anyway," Cameron told her. She and Gretchen looked at

each other quizzically, then they walked across to Wilson's office.

The oncologist was also alone, reading through a file. But he looked

up when Cameron knocked on the door, smiled and motioned for them

to come in.

"Have you seen House since lunch?" Cameron asked.

"I haven't seen him since this morning. I assisted with surgery on

one of my patients and that cut into my lunchtime. Didn't you have

lunch with him?"

Cameron shook her head. "We had an Infectious Disease department

meeting."

"Where can he be?" Gretchen asked, beginning to worry.

"I know it's a long shot, but have you tried the clinic?" Wilson

suggested.

"It's worth a try," Cameron said. She and her daughter took the

elevator and headed for the clinic.

"Dr. Cameron, how can I help you?" the nurse at the desk asked

pleasantly.

"We're looking for Dr. House," Cameron told her just as pleasantly.

"I haven't seen him," the nurse said, but another nurse who was just

leaving said, "He was here for about an hour this morning. He hasn't

been back since."

Cameron tried not to let her mounting anxiety show, especially for

Gretchen's sake.

"Now what?" the girl asked.

They stood there for a minute, then Cameron smacked her head and

took out her cell phone. She tried House's cell number but, after

four rings his voicemail picked up. She left a message, wondering

why he didn't answer.

"Mom, didn't you come to the hospital together this morning?"

Gretchen asked. "Do you remember where you parked?"

Cameron smiled at her. Even though she was starting to panic, her

daughter could still think logically. They headed to the parking

garage, but when they arrived at the spot where House and Cameron

had parked that morning, it was as empty as House's office, and

Cameron's smile faded along with her hopes.

"I'm sure this was the parking space." She looked around for their

family bus, but it just wasn't there. "Maybe he's back in his

office?" she said, grasping at straws. "At least we should leave him

a message there."

So back they went. Of course, he wasn't there. Now, even the

conference room was dark.

"Mom, his bag's still here," Gretchen noticed, interpreting this as

a good sign.

"I'll write him a note." Cameron searched for a pen and a

scrap of paper.

"Do you think he might be in your office or looking for you?"

Gretchen asked.

"Maybe," Cameron said doubtfully, but they returned to their starting

point. No sign of House or even that he'd been there. Cameron wrote

another note and left it on her door.

"We would have heard something by now..." Gretchen couldn't finish

the sentence.

"Yes, of course," Cameron said to reassure them both.

Just then her pager went off. But when she looked at the read out,

it just said she was needed immediately in NICU.

"You can stay here, or in your father's office," Cameron suggested.

"I'd rather go with you," Gretchen replied. "I'll sit in the waiting

room, do some homework." She hefted her school pouch higher on her

shoulders. It had become heavier and heavier as they'd gone back

and forth through the hospital.

A nurse greeted Cameron as soon as they reached the NICU. "Dr.

Cameron, thank God you're here. We have a preemie with the

Brazilian flu. Dr. House has been working on him all afternoon and

confirmed the diagnosis forty-five minutes ago. He's tried all of

the usual protocols, but none are working."

Cameron's relief about finally knowing where House had been turned

quickly to dismay about the patient. If House couldn't help the baby,

what made anyone think she could? She saw that Gretchen had the same

mixture of emotions that she had.

Cameron quickly put on a protective gown, gloves, booties and cap.

When she entered the room, House looked up briefly at her, then

continued what he was doing as he brought her up to speed.

"Eight month preemie, four pounds at birth. Heart's been struggling

but holding it's own. Lungs weren't completely developed and they've

been the main problem. I've kept them going while we diagnosed him

but it's definitely been touch and go. Acofloxacin didn't work,

neither did kanamycin. The new antibiotic you've been using seemed

to have a limited affect, but I've been reluctant to give him too

much because of his size."

Cameron looked at the tiny sweet baby and what House was doing, his

deft fingers working delicately and tenderly. Her eyes flicked to

the readouts and she immediately thought of something she'd done on

a one-year-old that had worked, even though it hadn't on older

children. She and House fell into the rhythm of a natural team as

they worked to save this baby's life.

Gretchen sat in the waiting room, her SchoolPad on her lap, keying

in the answers to her math problems, but she also watched a young man

standing very still, staring through the window at the doctors and

nurses working on the baby. She recognized the look of anxiety on

his face.

"Is that your baby?" she asked as she got up and walked to stand

next to him.

"My son," he said. She heard the sadness in his voice.

"My mom and dad will do everything they can to make him better," the

girl said. He only half heard her. "Where's his mother?" Gretchen

asked.

"In her room in Maternity."

"Does she know the baby's sick?"

"I...I couldn't tell her," the baby's father said. "How can an infant

become infected with a virus? That's what one of the nurses said it

was."

"I don't know, but I bet my parents will try to find out. After they

make him better."

He finally looked at the girl. "Your parents?"

"My mom and dad." She indicated the two doctors. Then she looked

at the monitors. She could barely make them out from where she was

standing. "His heart's doing better," she said after a short time.

"And so're his lungs." She felt relieved as she had when she'd

learned where her father had been all afternoon.

"Are you sure?" the young father was afraid to hope.

"Yes," she said, smiling at him. "See?" They watched as House and

Cameron made some minor adjustments, then left the baby to the

nurses who'd been assisting them. They stripped off their protective

clothing in the anteroom, and came to give the father some good news.

"Mr. Samuels, your son is doing better. He's stable for now," Cameron

told the father. "We'll check on him again in an hour, and we can

be paged if we're needed before that."

"Your daughter said his heart and lungs were doing better", Mr.

Samuels said.

"I was watching the readouts," Gretchen explained.

"Well, I'm hungry. Cafeteria anyone?" was all House said.

"Mr. Samuels, would you like to come with us?" Gretchen invited.

"I...I think I'll go check on Rhonda."

House nodded at him, then turned to Gretchen. "OK, kiddo, let's go.

There's a Reuben waiting for me. Don't forget your pouch."

And the much-relieved House, Cameron and Gretchen headed for the

hospital cafeteria.


	57. Chapters 114 and 115

__So, where did House go before he went to NICU? Well, you're about to find out, and to meet the Samuels baby's mother.__

__Thanks for all the wonderful comments. I'd love some more.__

**Chapter 114. WHERE WERE YOU?**

House, Cameron and Gretchen sat in the almost empty cafeteria, plates full of crumbs in front of them. It was 8:30 in the evening of a very long day. Gretchen had been looking at her father, almost staring, as they all ate.

"Do I have ketchup on my nose?" House asked the girl.

"I never saw you in scrubs before."

Cameron nodded. She thought they looked good on him, maybe even made him look younger. "So you spent the afternoon in NICU?" She'd

been fighting not to ask questions about where he'd been while

they'd frantically searched for him and about how he ended up in

NICU.

"A good part of it."

"But Yen saw you go out lunchtime and our family bus wasn't where we

parked it this morning," she said.

"How did you know? When did you speak to Yen?" he asked. "And why

were you looking for the bus?"

"We were looking for you, Dad, and we couldn't find you anywhere,"

Gretchen explained.

He suddenly realized they'd been anxious because he wasn't where

they'd expected him to be. "You were worried about me?" His jaw dropped.

"No!" Cameron protested, but he recognized her tone of voice. She was

lying.

He grinned at her. "You were!" Then he looked at the girl. "And what

were you doing here, searching with your mom? Didn't you have chess club

or something?"

"It was canceled, so Tommy and I came to the hospital," Gretchen said

as if it was a logical chain of events.

Cameron knew he wouldn't tell her unless she asked him directly, and

maybe not even then. "So, where'd you go?"

He'd left his cell and his pager in his jeans when he'd put on the

scrubs, but not his lunchtime purchase. Now he slipped a hand into

the pocket, rolling the velvet cube around as much as you could roll

a cube. Then he pulled the small box out and slid it across the table

to Cameron instead of answering her question.

She looked at the maroon velvet box, almost afraid to touch it. But

her hands couldn't resist picking it up and opening it. The look on

her face and the way her eyes lit up when she saw the emerald-cut

diamond and the clusters of tiny diamonds on either side of it on

the white gold band were priceless.

She stared at it for so long that House had to say, "Put it on." But

her hands were shaking so much that in the end, he took her hand in

his left one and slipped the ring on with his right.

"I don't know what to say," she mouthed the worn but true cliché.

"Then don't say anything." One cliché deserved another. She didn't

have to say anything for him to know how happy he'd made her. This

was one of the changes he was finding he really liked and it

surprised him. He, Gregory House, could make another human being

happy. He looked at Gretchen watching her mother. Make that two

human beings.

"It's soooo beautiful," Gretchen said.

Cameron had finally found her voice. "You went to a jewelry store."

"Duh!" House said, but instead of rolling his eyes, he added "Yes."

"So where is the bus?"

"I parked it in the outside lot."

"OK. And then you went to NICU? Why?" Cameron was still puzzled.

House knew that she deserved to know, that he might as well tell all.

"When I got on the elevator, I had a...an impulse to go up to the

nursery, watch the newborns." He looked at Cameron to see whether

she understood. It was clear she did. Had she had similar urges

recently? "While I was there, one of the NICU nurses came rushing in

looking for Dr. Raman, but he was in surgery, and there was no one

else around. It was that pushy nurse, Felicia."

"Florence."

"Whatever. Anyway, she actually grabbed my arm, practically knocked

me over, then pulled me along insisting that I go with her."

"And once you saw the Samuels' baby you had to save him?" Cameron

asked.

"I had to figure out how to keep his lungs open."

"What do you mean?" Gretchen asked.

"There was fluid in his lungs. And whenever they deflated, the sides

stuck together." He looked at Gretchen's questioning face. "You know

how, when you blow up a balloon, if it's wet inside, the insides

stick together and it's really hard to blow it up? Like that."

"So you had to dry the inside of his lungs?" Gretchen guessed.

"Very good." He smiled at her. "Are you sure you didn't become a

doctor while I wasn't looking?"

She giggled.

"You had to solve it," Cameron stated.

"Yeah," House admitted.

"Dad, Mr. Samuels asked how a preemie could become infected with a

virus like the Brazilian flu. How could he? I thought babies had

their mother's immunity for a while after they were born."

"Yes, that's the part of the puzzle we still have to solve," House

said, nodding.

"The mother would be immune to the flu," Cameron reasoned. "All the

cases we've seen were children."

"So, why didn't the baby have his mother's immunity?" Gretchen asked

again.

"I think we're going to have to take a look at Mrs. Samuels," House

concluded.

**Chapter 115. SHE'S A LITTLE RUNAWAY**

The Samuels' baby was still holding his own when they'd returned to

NICU to check on him. His young mother was sleeping peacefully in

her room in Maternity. There were no indications on her chart that

she was ill. One of the orderlies had moved a cot into her room, for

the baby's father, and he was sleeping too, so House, Cameron and

Gretchen decided it was finally time to go home.

Neither Cameron nor House had been paged during the night. She'd been

euphoric over her ring and they'd spent an hour or two 'celebrating'

before drifting off to sleep, confident that the infant would be OK.

The next morning, Cameron checked first on her patients in Infectious

Diseases, but soon headed back up to NICU to see the Samuels' baby.

Cameron wasn't surprised to find House already in NICU, but he wasn't

looking in on their patient. Instead he was talking to Mr. Samuels.

"So the baby's mother was never sick during her entire pregnancy?"

House was asking.

"No, I told you," Mr. Samuels protested.

"Not even morning sickness?"

"Oh, well, I guess, at the beginning," the young man admitted.

"No sniffles, no nausea more recently?" House went on relentlessly.

"Uh, she did have the sniffles about a month ago. But it was just

hay fever."

"How old are you?" Cameron asked. They hadn't noticed her arrival.

"Um, I'm twenty-one." Mr. Samuels stood up taller. "And so's Rhonda," he

hastened to add, but wondered why she was asking.

House and Cameron exchanged doubting looks.

"I'd like to test her," Cameron said. "Find out if she's had the flu

or is a carrier."

"You think she gave it to the baby?" The young man was dismayed.

"We don't know. That's why we have to test her," Cameron said.

"But our baby's better, isn't he? What does it matter?" he wanted

to know.

Cameron could tell that House was about to explode, so she quickly

explained. "We know a lot about the virus your baby has. But we still

don't know how it's transmitted. You could be helping hundreds,

even thousands of other infants and children by helping us find out."

"I don't know. I'd rather you left Rhonda alone."

"Why don't you want us to examine your wife?" House demanded. "She

is your wife, isn't she?"

"Yes, of course." The answer was too quick, too decisive.

House stalked off to Maternity.

"House," Cameron called, but he didn't stop, so she followed.

The baby's mother looked very small, young and helpless.

"Rhonda, have you been sick at all?" House demanded of her.

"I told you, she hasn't been." Mr. Samuels had followed them and now

moved to stand between House and Rhonda.

"Rhonda, we need to know whether you've had the flu that your baby

has," Cameron repeated, more gently than House.

But instead of responding, Rhonda looked at her husband with fear

in her eyes. "Michael, you said the baby was going to be fine."

"Rhonda, he is," Cameron's soothing voice said. "We've been able to

treat him and he's doing well. But now we need to know how he got

sick."

"You think I gave it to him?" the young woman was aghast. "I'd never

do that to my baby."

"Of course you wouldn't. Rhonda, how old are you?" Cameron asked.

"I...I'm..." Again she looked at Michael for guidance.

"I told you. We're twenty-one," Michael said.

"More like fifteen," House guessed.

"I'll be sixteen next week," Rhonda blurted, then put her hand over

her mouth, as if that would take it back.

"Young enough to not be immune," House said.

The two young people looked at him questioningly.

"Adults have a natural immunity," Cameron explained. "It seems that

at Rhonda's age, the immunity is just developing." She took a

syringe from a drawer. "I'll just take a sample of your blood, and

we'll see if you have any signs of the disease."

Rhonda looked at Michael again, unsure. But all of his strength

seemed to have fled.

"OK," he told Cameron.

She drew some blood and took it to the lab to examine, returning

quickly. "The platelets are elongated. I'm running the sample

through the analyzer."

"What does that mean?" Michael asked.

"Elongated or flattened platelets are a sign of the disease."

Rhonda began to cry. She was finally accepting the fact that she'd

made her baby ill.

"Why don't we take you over to NICU so you can see your baby," Cameron

told her. She knew it would help for the teenage mother to see that

her baby was doing well.

As Michael wheeled Rhonda with Cameron walking besides them and

House trailing behind, Rhonda asked, "Doctor, do you have any children?"

Cameron smiled. "Yes, I have a daughter."

"She's very smart, too," Michael said. "I met her yesterday," he told

Rhonda.

"I'm just so scared I won't be able to take care of our baby," Rhonda

said.

"You know I'll help you," Michael said. "I promised I would."

"Do either of you have any family around here?" Cameron suspected

that these two had left home to have this baby, and probably weren't

even married.

"No," Michael admitted. "But I have a job. And Rhonda can get one."

"Have either of you even finished high school?" House asked. "Did

you ever think of the consequences before you started fooling around?

Never heard of protection? What are they teaching kids in school

today?"

"House, this isn't helping the situation," Cameron said. "We can hook

them up with the proper agencies."

"Will they make us give up our baby?" Rhonda was almost in tears

again. "Or make us go back home? I'd DIE if I had to go back home."

House saw the concerned look on Cameron's face. Of course, he wasn't

surprised, but she still had to learn that doctors couldn't solve

_all of their patient's problems._


	58. Chapters 116 and 117

__Thanks, everyone, for your comments. I'm amazed sometimes when I reread this as I'm doing before I post each chapter that I remember so many details from when I first wrote it, and forgot even more.__

__Don't stop the comments – they're what we writers live for.__

**Chapter 116. ALMOST HOME**

Cameron had arranged for Gretchen to go home with Audra that

afternoon after school so that the two girls could put the finishing

touches on their New York State report.

Elizabeth had returned to school, making Ruth happy that they could

do their report. The presentations were due on Friday, but

since there wouldn't be enough time for all of them that day, Mrs.

Bean had given Elizabeth and Ruth until Monday to complete theirs.

"I bet Ruth didn't do anything on the report on her own. She'll

probably have Elizabeth do all the work," Audra said.

Gretchen still didn't know Ruth well enough to comment but she was

beginning to agree with Audra about their classmate. "And if I know

Elizabeth, she probably worked on it while she was home sick."

They boarded Audra's school bus for the ride to her house. The bus

stopped at the end of Cherry Tree Lane. Gretchen could see the Pink

House from the bus, so she knew that she'd be taking this bus, too,

once they moved. The next stop was Lemon Tree Court. Audra's street

was really a cul-de-sac with six houses forming a semicircle. Only

one other student got off with them, a younger boy.

"Do you know him?" Gretchen asked out of curiosity.

"I think his name's Cedric and he's in second grade," Audra replied

as they walked to a house in the middle of the semicircle. "My

grandparents don't like his parents."

They came to Audra's house, a split level, sparsely landscaped but

neatly painted. Audra opened the front door and called out "Grandma

I'm home."

Mrs. Swenson came from the back of the house, probably the kitchen

because she was wiping her hands on the apron she wore over her navy dress.

"Hello, Audra, how was your day at school? Gretchen, I'm glad you

could visit today."

"Hello, Mrs. Swenson," Gretchen replied in greeting.

"Your mother said she'd be here about 5:30 to get you," Audra's

grandmother said.

"Then we'd better get started," Gretchen said.

"Let's go to my room," Audra said, leading the way.

Audra's room was very neat and clean with plain green curtains on

the window and a matching bedspread on the bed. Two bookshelves

containing mostly schoolbooks were on the wall above the wooden

desk which held a computer and a lamp and nothing else. A small

dresser was the only other piece of furniture, nothing on it's

smooth, polished top.

"Don't you have any posters?" Gretchen asked, looking around. The

walls of her room in Albany had been covered with them, and she

planned to do the same to her room in the house.

"I'm not allowed," Audra said, so Gretchen let it drop.

The girls had almost finished their presentation at school. Gretchen

had a copy of it on a disc in her school pouch. She took it out and

inserted it into Audra's computer, and they set to work.

The Samuels' baby was still doing well, actually gaining strength,

and aside from the evidence in her blood, Rhonda had no overt signs

of having the flu. House and Cameron decided to leave the hospital

a little early so that they could stop at the house on the way to

pick up Gretchen. The contractor had reported that much of the work

on the kitchen was completed but they wanted to see for themselves.

They pulled into the driveway. There was a dumpster near the garage,

probably for the materials that had been removed. They let themselves

in and walked straight back to the kitchen, a kitchen completely

transformed.

The pink floor was gone, replaced by larger wedgewood blue tiles.

The blue countertop material they'd picked out had been installed

over the new bottom cabinets. No more pink sink. The new one was

stainless steel and so was the panel on the front of the dishwasher.

The refrigerator panels now matched the cabinets.

The hideous pink wallpaper was also gone. Instead the upper part of

the walls was covered with a wallpaper of fine stripes in blues and

tans. Under a chair rail in the same wood as the cabinets, the wall

was painted tan.

The small window was replaced by a larger bay window, letting lots

of light from the backyard into the open area where they would put

Cameron's old kitchen table and chairs. One wall was framed for

shelves for the entertainment center equipment they still had to buy.

Only the upper cabinets needed to be installed. These were stacked

for now in the dining room.

They walked through the rest of the house planning where they would

put their furniture. Cameron's dining room set in the dining room,

her living room furniture in the living room and House's furniture

in the family room located behind the dining room. They were going

to use House's bedroom set and Gretchen would have hers from the

house in Albany. For now, Cameron's bedroom furniture would go in

the third bedroom. Neither of them was willing to say out loud how

they hoped to use that room in the future.

They returned to the kitchen. Cameron stood before the window looking

out into the yard. She didn't hear House come up behind her, but then

he put his arms around her waist.

"I have a lawn mower, a leaf blower and a snow blower," she said.

"You don't expect me to use those, do you?" House asked.

Cameron smirked. "I said they were mine. And I get to use them, no

one else. Of course, Gretchen's almost old enough. I can't believe

this is all happening," she continued, leaning against him.

"How did you take the American dream and bend it and massage it so

that it fit me?" House asked.

Cameron turned to look at him. "Before I left, I was beginning to

think that I'd been mistaken about you. That the flashes of humanity

that I'd seen were an anomaly or just my imagination. I was afraid

that if I ever got through those layers of protective rudeness

and arrogance, bitterness and snark, all I'd find was a heart that

had turned to ice or stone long ago, or maybe a black hole that

would suck me in, or worse still, just more arrogance and

bitterness."

"That's why you left," he said, trying to understand.

"There were lots of reasons why I left, but, yes, that was part of

it. I knew I couldn't stand the disappointment if I ever found out

for sure that you weren't the man I thought you were."

He didn't know what to say.

"But there was no reason to be afraid. You are that man, Greg."

She put her arms around him and hugged him close.

**Chapter 117. MY GRANDFATHER AND ME**

House and Cameron left the house and walked to the family bus.

Cameron noticed that Nita Nayar was sitting on her porch again with

her grandfather.

"I'll just say hello." She put a hand on House's shoulder, then walked next door. House stood leaning on his cane but decided that if he didn't follow she'd

return sooner.

"Hi, Nita." Cameron smiled at the young woman.

"Oh, hi. Have you met my grandfather?"

Cameron looked at the slight old man, the small dark eyes shining

brightly in his wrinkled brown face.

"Grandfather, this is our new neighbor. You met her daughter,

Gretchen the other day," Nita told him.

"Tall girl with blue eyes and brown hair," he said in his slightly

sing-song voice.

"That's right," Nita said smiling.

The old man nodded "And her little yellow-haired friend with a dog

named Carrie Ann."

"I'm surprised he remembered them," Nita told Cameron. "Where is

Gretchen?"

"She's visiting a friend from school over on Lemon Tree Court,"

Cameron replied. "I just wanted to say hello and let you know we'll

finally be moving in next week." She glanced back at the old man.

The light seemed to have faded from his eyes.

"It's cold. Indira, let's go in." He looked at Nita and stood.

"Indira was my grandmother," Nita explained.

Cameron nodded in understanding and watched them go into the house

before turning and walking back to the bus.

They drove to the Swenson's house and parked in their driveway. Mrs.

Swenson answered the door on the first knock.

"You're right on time," she said approvingly, wiping her hands on her

apron.

"I hope Gretchen wasn't any trouble," Cameron said.

"I haven't heard the girls at all. They must be busy at work in

Audra's room. I'll call up and let them know you're here."

But she didn't have to. The two girls came down the short stairway.

"We've just finished," Gretchen announced.

"Hello Dr. Cameron, Dr. House," Audra said.

"Hi, Audra," Cameron said.

The front door opened behind House and Cameron and a tall gray-haired

man entered complaining. "Why is there a family bus in our driveway?"

"You must be Mr. Swenson." Cameron extended her hand. "I'm

Allison Cameron, Gretchen's mother, and that's our bus. We'll move

it if it's in your way."

House just studied the man, who stood very straight in front of them.

Mr. Swenson looked at the outstretched hand, and then the woman it

was attached to. A slim woman with long brown hair in a ponytail

wearing pants and a sweater under a leather coat. "Ingrid, who are

these people?" he demanded.

"Nils, these are Dr. Cameron and Dr. House, the parents of Audra's

school friend Gretchen. They've come to pick her up," Mrs. Swenson

explained meekly. "You remember. Audra and I told you that Gretchen

would be coming here today to work on a school project."

Now Nils Swenson looked at House. This man is a doctor? he wondered.

All he saw was a man almost as old as he was, leaning on a cane and

wearing a leather jacket over a rumpled dress shirt, open at the neck

to reveal a shirt with writing on it. By contrast, his own white

dress shirt was still as stiffly starched as when he'd put it on that

morning, his conservative tie was tied, his dress pants had a sharp

crease and his suit jacket was well-tailored.

"I'll just get my things," Gretchen said, bounding back up the stairs.

"Your dinner is ready, Nils. Why don't you come to the table while

Audra sees her guests out," Mrs. Swenson dared to say.

"Thank you, Mrs. Swenson, for allowing Gretchen to spend time with

Audra today," Cameron said, hoping to ease the tension in the room.

But as soon as Gretchen returned, they were all anxious to leave this

house.

"Thank you, Mrs. Swenson," Gretchen called towards the kitchen. "I'll

see you at school tomorrow." Audra held the door open for them.

Once they were in the car, Gretchen said, "I feel so sorry for Audra.

Her grandmother seems nice enough, but they don't let her do anything

or have any fun."

"They do seem very strict with her," Cameron said.

"She can't watch TV or play video games. There are only certain books

she can read and movies she can watch," Gretchen went on. "And you

should see her room. It's like a cell."

"But I'm sure they really care about her, Sweetie," Cameron said.

House had been very quiet. But the environment Audra lived in was

not that different than what he'd grown up in, and seeing it brought

back painful memories. He just didn't know what they could do about

it. He had no doubt his girls would try.


	59. Chapters 118 and 119

__It looks like I posted Chapters 120-121 instead of 118-119 here. In any event. 120-123 are already posted so I'm replacing what was here with 118-119.__

**Chapter 118. Watch What Happens**

The Samuels' baby was much better. Although he was still too small

to be removed from his incubator, he was beginning to gain weight

and his lungs were strengthening too. After checking in on him,

Cameron hurried down the hall to see his mother. The teenage girl

was also feeling better physically, but emotionally she seemed

even worse.

"The Social Services lady said they might have to take Joey away from

us," Rhonda cried the moment she saw Cameron. "They can't really take

my baby away, can they?"

"It might be the best thing for him, at least for now," Cameron said.

"At least until you and Michael can take care of him both physically

and financially. So you've decided to name him Joey?"

"Joseph Michael, after my grandfather and Michael, of course." Rhonda

smiled briefly talking about the infant, but the smile didn't last.

"We can take care of him, Michael and me."

"You're not quite sixteen. Michael's what? Seventeen? Did either of

you even finish high school?" Cameron waited for answers to her

questions. She hoped the girl wasn't living in such a fantasy world

that she thought they could make it on their own.

"He's seventeen, and he has only one more semester to go before he

gets his high school diploma. He had a lot of vocational training at

school. He's working at a garage right now, and the owner says he's

doing really well."

"But where will you live? How will you pay for food for yourselves

and diapers and formula for the baby? What about medical care?"

Cameron didn't mean to be harsh, but she needed to have the girl

face reality. "Isn't there anyone in the area who can help? What

brought you to Princeton in the first place?" The girl had a slight

Southern accent.

"Can I confide in you? You won't tell anyone, will you?" Rhonda understood what she'd been trying to do, but she also seemed very sympathetic. "I'm from

North Carolina, a small town called Beaumont. Michael moved there

with his dad and brother two years ago. They used to live in New

Jersey, not far from here. We met at a school dance and we've been

dating since." She paused to decide how much to tell. "When I became

pregnant, my dad threw me out of the house. I stayed with my Aunt

Peggy for a while, but then Michael and I decided we needed to get

away. Everyone was making it miserable for us."

"So you came to New Jersey because Michael used to live here?"

Cameron asked.

"Yes. He thought it would be easier to get a job around here."

"What about his family? Doesn't he have any family or friends still

living in the area?" There had to be someone who could help these

two kids.

"Only his mother, but he hasn't seen her or talked to her in at least

three years." Rhonda began to cry. "What are we going to do?"

"I honestly don't know, at least not in the long run," Cameron said.

"But right now, how would you like to come with me to see your baby?"

Rhonda's face suddenly lit up. "Yes!" she said.

During lunch that day, Gretchen and Tommy were talking about the

football game they'd be going to the next Sunday.

"My Dad never took me to a game, and he loves football," Nelson said.

"Well, this is the first time I'm going to one," Tommy said. "My Dad

and Uncle Greg love to watch football, too, but I don't know when

they've ever gone to a game."

"Football! Yuck!" Monique said. "Why would anyone want to watch

that?"

"I think it's interesting. There's a lot of strategy involved,"

Gretchen said. "It's not just men in shoulder pads barreling into

each other. Although, I guess there's a lot of that, too."

"I've never seen a football game," Audra ventured to say. She was

beginning to interact more with her classmates, but mostly she

listened and kept her comments to herself.

"American football is very different from English football," Elizabeth

said. "I guess your soccer is closer to our football."

"Oh, I like soccer even better than football," Gretchen declared.

"In my old school I played soccer for a while."

"I would have thought you played basketball," David said.

"Everyone always wanted me to, but I like soccer the best," Gretchen

said.

"Is Dr. Lloyd still coming with us to the game?" Tommy asked her.

"I think so. Is your Uncle Marty still coming, too?"

"Yes. But I haven't had a chance to find out anymore of the things

you wanted to know," he confessed.

"That's all right. We can work on them both at the same time at the

game."

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Gretchen thinks we should get my Uncle to take out one of the

doctors who works with her mother," Tommy explained.

"Your Uncle was the one who showed us the X-ray machine?" David said,

remembering his favorite part of their visit to the hospital.

"Yes," Tommy said. "He lives alone and Dr. Lloyd lives alone."

"Except she has two cats, Fred and Ginger," Gretchen added.

"That's cute!" Elizabeth said, but none of the other children got

the reference.

"I hope Uncle Marty isn't allergic," Tommy suddenly wondered.

"Guess that's something else we have to find out," Gretchen concluded.

**Chapter 119. Future Plans**

Sullivan and Yen sat at the conference room table, pouring

over bridal magazines. House tried to sneak into his office without

them seeing.

"House!" That Sullivan had sharp eyes. "Is Gretchen available

tomorrow to go with us to look at dresses for the wedding?" she

asked once she had his attention.

He shrugged. "You don't expect me to be there with her, do you? Check

with her mother."

"At some point you'll have to order your suit," she warned.

"Don't remind me." He gave her a 'do I have to?' look. "Can't I just

wear jeans?"

Sully smirked. "I'm sure you'll look very handsome when you walk me

down the aisle."

He looked almost puzzled. "Why would I want to?"

"You're not going to back out on me now, are you?" she asked,

beginning to worry.

"Nah, I'll be there."

She finally dismissed him. "I'll check with Cameron". As he walked away, she

and Yen went back to their magazines.

House made it into his office, hoping to relax with a video game, but

a young man appeared in his doorway. It took him a minute to place

him. It was the Samuels kid. Mack? Mike?

"Dr. House, can I talk to you?" Michael asked.

"I diagnosed your kid. Dr. Cameron treated him. They'll probably

release Rita later today," House said. "What do you want from me?"

"Her name's Rhonda and, yes, I'm here to take her home. It's about

the baby." Michael seemed nervous.

"Not my case," House said dismissively.

"The woman from Social Services said they'll take him away if we

can't take care of him," Michael said. "We don't know what to do."

"Shoulda thought of that before, but you couldn't keep it in your

pants, could you?" But House was keenly aware that he hadn't been

able to either ten years before with Cameron.

"I'm willing to take responsibility for Rhonda and Joey," Michael

said. "But it doesn't look like they'll let me."

House thought about the parallels. "You're lucky, you know," he said.

Michael didn't understand.

"You were with Rhonda through her pregnancy, saw your kid being born.

Be happy with that."

"But I want to watch him grow up. I want to be there when he walks

for the first time, says his first words. I want to teach him to

ride a bike and play baseball." Michael was practically pleading.

And for the second time in two days House could empathize with

someone else.

"Dr. Cameron says your mother lives nearby," he said.

"I haven't spoken to her since before my Dad moved us away," the young

man said. "And not much before that. She didn't want to have anything

to do with any of us."

"But now she has a grandchild. It changes things." Not that he'd

heard anything from his parents since they'd found out about and met

Gretchen.

"I don't want to have to beg for charity from anyone, especially not

my mother," Michael said.

"You need help. Start with your family. You may be surprised." House

couldn't believe he'd just said that. "And let your Dad know, too,

and Rhonda's family." Somebody had to be willing to help them.

"Well, I'd better go get Rhonda," Michael said. "Thanks, Dr. House."

House looked at him for a minute before saying, "Your welcome."

But after he left House's mind began to explore all sorts of

possibilities until he told it that it was not his problem, not his

puzzle to solve.


	60. Chapters 120 through 123

__I could swear I posted chapters 120 and 121 on Thursday, but they're not in FF, so you get a bonus tonight: 4 chapters!__

__And as the title of the second two chapters implies, you'd better be ready for some football. After all, it is that time of year. But there's more going on in these chapters than two teams tossing around a pigskin. Read and enjoy. And I'd enjoy seeing what you think.__

**Chapter 120. SHOW AND TELL**

Tommy and Nelson finished their presentation on Connecticut and

Rhode Island with simultaneous bows. Tommy had dressed as Roger Williams, who settled Rhode Island, and Nelson as a Narragansett Indian. They'd crammed

a lot of facts into their fifteen-minute 'show' and presented them

in an entertaining way.

Now it was Gretchen and Audra's turn. They started with a little of

the obligatory history of New York, how Manhattan was bought from

the Indians and how the state was settled. Then they moved on to the

present day state with a montage emphasizing the contrast between the

hustle-bustle pace of populous New York City and the bucolic farm

country in the central and western part of the state, and between the

natural beauty of the mountains and trees, lakes and rivers, beaches

and sand dunes and the man-made beauty of skyscrapers and bridges.

They'd collected still and moving clips from the internet and then

combined them with personal photos, mostly Gretchen's. Gretchen with

Tommy and Emily at the Museum of Natural History and Audra with her

grandfather at the Guggenheim. Gretchen at the State Fair in Syracuse

and the zoo.

They took turns explaining the diversity of New York State and then

Gretchen concluded by saying "As you can see, whatever you can think

of, whatever you want, you can find it in New York State."

David raised his hand when they were done and asked "Who was that

girl in the picture with you and Tommy?"

"That's our best friend Emily," Gretchen said. "She'll be moving here

soon," she continued enthusiastically but caught a look of disappoint-

ment on Audra's face.

"Will she be going to this school?" Elizabeth asked.

"No," Gretchen replied. She watched to see Audra's reaction to this

news, but couldn't interpret it.

"Well, I think you girls could sell your presentation to the New

York State Chamber of Commerce," Mrs. Bean quipped, to get the class

back to the topic.

Seven groups had done their presentations and it was 2:30. Mrs. Bean

decided to postpone the remaining four until Monday. She went over

their homework assignments for the weekend, and dismissed them

right on time.

That evening, as they ate a dinner of enchiladas, House asked Cameron,

"Did Sullivan talk to you today?" He'd suddenly remembered what Sully

had requested earlier in the day.

"About Gretchen's dress for the wedding?" Cameron asked. "Yes, we're

meeting her at the bridal shop tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that." Gretchen eyes grew bright. "I was never in a

wedding before. Mom, can I get real heels to wear with my dress?"

"As long as they're not too high," Cameron replied, chuckling at her

daughter.

"What's too high?" Gretchen asked, looking pointedly at her Mom's

three-inch heels.

"She's got you there," House smirked.

"But we're also going to have to spend time packing this weekend,"

Cameron said to change the subject.

"Most of your stuff's still in boxes, and the movers are supposed

to pack up everything else," House objected.

"Still, there are some things you wouldn't want them to pack for you

aren't there?" she said. "I don't want them touching my underwear."

"Or that lacy teddy, the one..."

"House!" Cameron gave him a look of mortification.

"See, you don't even want to talk about it."

She needed to change the conversation again. "Once we move you can

have that sleepover you've been wanting, Sweetie." She picked a

topic sure to annoy House.

"I don't want to do it until Emily moves. And I'm worried that

Audra's grandparents won't let her come." Gretchen frowned. "Could you

talk to her grandmother about it?"

"Sure." Cameron smiled at her daughter, whose heart was as big as they

come.

And to further prove the point, Gretchen asked, "How's the Samuels'

baby doing?"

"He's doing very well," Cameron reported.

"His mother went home today." House ignored Cameron's look

of surprise that he knew that. "Sounds like Social Services is giving

Michael and Rhonda a hard time."

"Those two aren't really equipped to care for the baby," Cameron said.

"Maybe we can adopt him," Gretchen said.

"Oh, Sweetie, I don't know," Cameron wasn't surprised by this reaction

but she wasn't quite prepared. "Maybe we can foster him for a while

until his parents can take him."

"Oh, no. Gretchen, I know you want a brother, but that's not the way

it's gonna happen," House said. "Michael and Rhonda should raise

Joey. If you two spend time with him, you'll just become so attached,

you'll never let go."

Cameron stared at him. She was so shocked that he knew their names

and had an opinion about the subject that she was speechless.

"Little Joey won't be released for a few weeks. Maybe someone in

their families will help them." House concluded, then stood and

limped into the kitchen for another beer.

**Chapter 121. LAVENDER BLUE, DILLY DILLY**

The moment he looked at Cameron the next morning House realized that

something was wrong. She was paler than normal.

"Greg, I don't feel so well," she moaned.

"Head? Stomach?" House asked. "One too many enchiladas?"

"I don't know, just a general unsettled feeling," she said.

All his previous thoughts of a morning of lovemaking went out the

window as doctor mode kicked in. She wasn't hot or flushed, her

eyes were clear. "How's your throat?" he asked, as he got up to look

for his penlight.

"It doesn't hurt to swallow," she said, as she tried to diagnose

herself. "Maybe I should just sleep a little longer."

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Go have breakfast with Gretchen," she suggested.

"I'll probably be just fine in another hour."

"So, what'll you do while Mom and I are at the bridal shop?" Gretchen

asked as they ate their breakfast in front of the TV.

"If she's feeling well enough later to take you," her father said.

"Maybe I'll call one of my hook... I mean, maybe your Uncle Jimmy

wants to hang with me."

"What's wrong with Mom?" she asked, but just then her mother came

into the living room.

"Can I get you anything?" House repeated.

"I'm just going to have some tea and maybe a piece of toast." Cameron

started to walk towards the kitchen. "I guess I'll call

Sully and tell her we won't be able to make it."

"I can do that," Gretchen volunteered.

"And I'll get the tea and toast," House said. "Just sit here." He

followed Gretchen into the kitchen, but when his daughter picked

up the phone he told her, "I can take you."

"Really?!" The girl was surprised. She went back to the living room

to tell her mother. "Dad says he'll take me."

Cameron smiled wanly at her. "Good." But she was as surprised as

Gretchen.

"Are you sure you'll be OK here alone?"

"Yes. It may have just been what I ate last night, after all. By the

time you get back, I'll be much better."

House and Gretchen stopped for some fast food on their way to the

bridal shop. When they arrived, Sullivan and Yen were already there.

"Where's Cameron?" Sullivan asked. She'd been hoping the older woman

would help them make their dress selections.

"Mom wasn't feeling well, so Dad brought me," Gretchen replied.

"Don't worry, I'm not staying," House informed them. "I'll be back

in an hour or so to pay for Gretchen's dress. Oh, and to make sure

my daughter's not gonna look like a floozy at this wedding." He retreated as fast as he could with three sets of eyes staring after him.

Sully and Yen had started going through the dresses that the

saleswoman had suggested. "Gretchen, what do you think?" Yen asked,

holding one up.

"It's beautiful, but do you think we should both wear the same dress?

Maybe just similar one's," Gretchen said.

"Sully wants us to wear lavender. Is that OK with you?" Yen asked.

Gretchen was used to voicing her opinion at home, but usually adults

didn't ask her to. Well, she liked lavender. "OK," she said.

As they continued to look at dress after dress, Dana Foreman entered

with Becca. The little girl ran immediately to Gretchen.

"Becca!" Gretchen greeted her, catching her up in her arms. "Are you

going to be the flower girl?" she asked, as if she didn't already

know.

"Lots of flowers," two-year-old Becca said, spreading her arms wide

to indicate just how many.

"Have you made any progress picking out dresses and colors?" Dana

inquired.

Sully, Yen and Gretchen simultaneously said "No!" but Sully added

"We're thinking lavender."

The saleswoman brought over her latest suggestions. She'd noticed

that the two young women and the girl seemed to prefer the simpler

styles. One of the new dresses caught Yen's eyes.

"Oh, I really like this one" she said.

Everyone else liked it, too. A simple sleeveless dress with a deep

'V' in front and back and an embroidered band around the waist. But

it was yellow.

"Does it come in lavender?" Sullivan asked the saleswoman?

"I believe so. I'll go look."

While she was gone, the women and tall girl went through the rest

of the dresses. Gretchen found one with similar embroidery but a

more modest neckline. And it was lavender! She held it against her

and asked "What do you all think?"

The nods and yesses confirmed it. "You'll have to have your hair

done up," Yen suggested. "And I'm sure the dress will have to be shortened.

But, why don't you go try it on."

Gretchen went into a changing room, and just as she came out, House

returned. He'd never seen his daughter 'dressed up'. He knew she

looked like her beautiful mother. But it suddenly hit him what a

knock-out she was. He thought she looked like a fairytale princess.

**Chapter 122. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?**

When House and Gretchen arrived back at the apartment, Cameron looked

decidedly better, in fact like she hadn't been sick at all. House

suspected that she may have been faking, but he couldn't prove it.

"Mom, I found the most wonderful dress!" Gretchen gushed. "Dad,

wasn't it beeauutiful?"

House put on his valley-girl imitation and said, "Oh, totally! Like

it was like sooo purply..."

"Lavender," Gretchen corrected. "And Yen's is too, only it's more..."

"...daring," House finished.

"And even Becca's is the same color," Gretchen went on. "All they have

to do on mine is shorten it a little."

Cameron could tell by the way House was looking at Gretchen that he'd

more than approved her selection.

"So you got to see the squirt dressed up?" She watched his

facial expressions.

"Yeah." He tried to minimize how great she looked. "Not bad."

Cameron laughed, then asked, "Are you two hungry?"

"How 'bout some more enchiladas?" House asked. It was his turn to

watch Cameron's reaction.

"I don't think I'll chance that again for a while." She shook her head. Maybe

she'd been ill after all.

They settled on Chinese food and had another pleasant family evening,

eating and chatting.

The next morning when they got up, House watched to see how Cameron

felt. She seemed better than the previous morning, but not her usual

self. Still, they had plans and she was determined to go to the game.

After they'd all gotten dressed and had breakfast, they drove to

Lloyd's apartment to pick her up on their way to the football

game. The Wilsons were meeting them at the Meadowlands.

Wilson had managed to get them fabulous seats on the fifty yard line

for a game between the Giants and Panthers. Gretchen and Tommy

somehow arranged for Nancy Lloyd and Marty to sit next to each other

with Tommy on Marty's other side and Gretchen on Lloyd's.

While they waited for the game to start, Tommy casually mentioned to

his uncle that Dr. Lloyd had two cats. Marty couldn't NOT ask her

about them after that and they were soon engaged in a conversation

about pets. The two nine-year-olds sat back and waited to see where

that would lead.

In the first quarter, the Giants scored and the kick was good. House

was ready to place a wager on the game, but no one would take him

up on it. Rather than sulk, he decided it was time to get everyone

some 'food'.

This prompted Gretchen to ask Lloyd what kinds of foods she liked

to cook.

"I like to eat Chinese but I like to cook Italian," the doctor

replied.

Rather loudly, Gretchen asked, "Like meatballs and spaghetti?"

"It's one of my specialties. That and lasagna," Lloyd said.

Her answer was not lost on Marty, whose ears seemed to perk up.

Gretchen and Tommy looked at each other across the two adults and

smiled.

In the second quarter, it was the Panthers turn to score. Cuddy, who

wasn't really a football fan, made a comment about how dumb football

players were, but Lloyd disagreed.

"They have to both move quickly and think quickly in response to what

their opponents do. The quarterbacks especially have to be pretty

smart and flexible, just like doctors have to be. You never can

predict completely what a patient or a disease will hit you with,

and you have to be able to respond."

"Does that count as a medical metaphor?" House asked no one in

particular.

Half-time came and the ladies left for the restroom, while the men

dissected the moves during the first half of the game. Tommy remained

with his Dad, Uncle Marty and Uncle Greg. He liked listening to them

talk, whether it was about sports or anything else.

Meanwhile, Gretchen was telling Lloyd and Cuddy about the dresses

for Sully's wedding.

"I bet you'll look beautiful," Lloyd said. "What did you think?" she

asked Cameron.

"I didn't see the dresses. House took Gretchen," she replied.

"You're kidding, right?" Cuddy asked.

"But he didn't stay while we decided which ones," Gretchen

said. "He came back when I was trying mine on."

"I would have given anything to see the look on his face when he

saw you!" Cuddy exclaimed, a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her

lips.

Cameron chuckled. "I saw him not long afterward, and the effect

hadn't completely worn off."

They started back to their seats. Gretchen walked next to Lloyd and

asked her mother's friend as offhandedly as possible, "So, what do

you think of Marty?"

**Chapter 123. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME MORE FOOTBALL?**

Lloyd didn't know how to respond to the girl. She barely knew the

man. He seemed OK. And after all, he was Dr. Wilson's brother. "I

suppose he's very nice," she finally said as they neared their

seats.

Well, that was a start, Gretchen thought. She took her seat between

her father and Lloyd and thought about what to do next.

Gretchen's question had gotten Lloyd thinking. She took a really

good look at the man sitting next to her and realized he was

actually good-looking, probably around her age. But she'd sworn

off men a while before after a disastrous relationship with a stock

broker. She was content to live alone with her two cats, to do

whatever she wanted whenever she wanted.

Marty and Tommy were laughing at something Cuddy said, something

about the rules of football and not understanding the penalty system

at all. She heard House remark "Most people don't understand it.

But there are certain rules about where players can be and when they

can contact other players."

Cuddy looked at House incredulously. "This from the resident

anarchist."

"We're talking football, here," House responded, implying by his

tone and expression that some rules were sacrosanct.

House noticed that Cameron had been quiet since she'd returned from

the restroom. He leaned close to her and asked, "You OK?"

She nodded and smiled at him. "I'm fine."

Play resumed on the field with the start of the third quarter and

the score tied seven to seven. But immediately the Panther's took

possession of the ball and moved it quickly down field. Finally the

Giant's defense began to take effect and the Panther's were forced

to punt from the thirty yard line, scoring a field goal to the

groans of many in the stands, including the Wilsons, Lloyd, Gretchen,

House and Cameron.

Lloyd noticed that when Wilson and House each got another beer, Marty

just got a coke. She couldn't help but approve.

The game continued with the Giants coming back to score another

touchdown and take the lead. The third quarter ended.

House was getting antsy from sitting so long, his leg was beginning

to ache, and the beers were having an effect on his bladder. It was

his turn to head for the restroom. Marty decided to go too.

As they washed their hands before heading back to their seats, Marty

asked, "Do you know whether Dr. Lloyd is seeing anyone?"

House eyed him, debating what answer to give. The simple truth was

rarely an option for him, but he was curious why Marty was asking.

"Don't think so."

A smile crossed Marty's face. It'd been a long time since he'd been

interested in someone, besides himself that is. Maybe it was time.

House noticed the smile and decided his squirt's plan was working.

They made their way back to their seats.

"What'd I miss?" House asked Gretchen, but it was Cameron who told

him play-by-play what had happened while he was gone.

"I didn't think you even knew what a tailback was," House blurted

when she'd finished. "You could moonlight as a sportscaster."

But the bottom line was that no one had scored and the Giants were

still in the lead 14 to 10 with ten minutes left to play. Ten minutes

of play that could take thirty or forty to transpire. The teams went

back and forth, neither able to score again. Finally the game was

over.

"That was awesome," Tommy said as they filed out of the stands.

Gretchen and the adults all agreed. House watched Gretchen watching

Lloyd and Marty. He glanced at Cameron to find that she was also

watching their daughter. He caught her eye and winked, and she just

_grinned back at him._


	61. Chapters 124 and 125

__Hope everyone got to read chapters 118-119 and 120-123. Sorry for the mixups. And in answer to the guess that many of you made, here's your answer.__

**Chapter 124. MAYBE BABY**

They stopped for dinner on the way home from the football game and then House, Cameron and Gretchen dropped Lloyd at her place.

Once they were settled in their usual spots on the couch in the living room, Gretchen asked her parents, "So, d'ya think Lloyd and Marty like each other?" They both laughed.

"What?" she asked.

"Sweetheart, I know you mean well," Cameron said. "But you can't interfere in other people's lives. Remember I told you that some people are comfortable being alone, especially if they've lived that way for a while. They don't have to worry about anyone else just themselves, and that's how they like it."

House looked at her. Did she realize she was talking about him, too? Well, maybe not now but pre-Gretchen.

"But that's selfish," Gretchen said. "People should care about each other, not just themselves."

House felt he had to say something. "There's a certain freedom, living alone. Just because I was willing to give that up to be with you and your mother doesn't mean that everyone would feel that way."

Gretchen nodded in understanding, but she hadn't given up on Nancy and Marty.

"OK, spill. What is it?" House asked once he and Cameron were alone in the bedroom.

"I don't know what you mean," she insisted.

"Oh, come on now. You know better than to try that with me. Something's bothering you. Maybe more than one something. You've been quiet, withdrawn most of the weekend."

Cameron realized she needed to tell him all the things that had been bothering her lately. But where to start?

House saw the conflict in her eyes. Couldn't she tell him? Momentarily his insecurities surfaced and he wondered if she'd already tired of him but couldn't bring herself to say so. But no, he was pretty certain that wasn't it. Still he was very surprised when she finally spoke.

"I'm concerned about Joey Samuels on both a professional and personal level. We know that adults are immune to the Brazilian flu and that children aren't but we don't know why. We know that babies as young and small as Joey need different treatment than older children but we don't know why. We know that his mother passed the disease to him, that her blood had the markers for the disease but she never had any symptoms. And we don't know why. I think we can make significant progress in answering our questions by studying Joey and Rhonda."

"And you'll use that as an excuse to continue to spend time with them?"

"Greg, I understand why you feel that his parents should be the ones to raise Joey. And that I shouldn't spend too much time with him because I'll become attached to that precious little boy, but I guess I already am."

"That's not all, is it? Allison, you're afraid you're pregnant, aren't you? I thought we wanted a child."

"We do! I...I'm actually afraid to believe I am because if I'm not I don't know what I'll feel for that baby in NICU."

"How late are you? One week?" Of course he knew.

"Yes."

"We'll do one of those new early tests tomorrow. The Adams assay." He pulled her into an embrace. "But I know what it'll say." He grinned at her. "We did it Allison."

"But what about Joey?"

"We'll have to find a way to help those kids with their kid."

**Chapter 125. BLOOD WILL TELL**

House's first stop when he finally arrived at the hospital on Monday

morning was the lab supply office.

"House, what brings you here?" Marty asked.

"Need some supplies," House said, as nonchalantly as possible. "Some

lumbar puncture needles, two mil syringes, oh and some Adams test

kits." His staff could always use the needles and syringes.

"Sure, coming right up." Marty surveyed the shelves for

the items. "Just fill out the request form and you can have them."

He turned a computer screen and keyboard on the counter so that House

could reach them and went to pull the packages.

House obligingly filled out the online form, then waited for Marty

to bring everything to him in a large plastic envelope.

"So, how'd you like the game yesterday?" Marty asked.

"Could've used more scoring."

"Yeah, but some of those defensive moves were pretty awesome." Marty

was dying to ask something else, but wasn't sure he should. "Uh, did

Dr. Lloyd say anything? I mean about me?"

House smirked at him. "Interested in her, huh?"

"Well, um, she seems like a really nice lady."

House just smirked again and walked away.

Chase knocked on House's door, noting that he was actually using his

computer rather than his usual slacking. Unless he was playing video

games or surfing the net. No, Chase recognized the CDC website. But

as soon as he knocked and entered, House closed the window.

"Can't you see I'm busy," House barked in the tone he usually used

when he really wasn't. Probably didn't want Chase to know he'd actually

been working. But after all these years Chase wasn't buying it. The

Diagnostician couldn't stay on top of the latest research in medicine

and the latest treatments and drugs unless he read the journals and

studied the newest cases.

"I just wanted to give you the information about the place where

Foreman and I are getting our clothes for the wedding."

"Translation. You want me to wear a suit like yours from the same

place," House said. "I'm just walking your bride-to-be down the

aisle." The implication being that he didn't have to wear a penguin

suit to do that.

"At least I'm marrying the woman I love," Chase countered.

"Guess you missed the huge rock on Cameron's right hand."

"It's about time." Chase couldn't help grinning.

Cameron entered and Chase's eyes went immediately to her ring. He

smiled again. House wasn't kidding about the size of the stone.

"Well, I've got to get back to the ER," Chase said. "Good seeing you

Cameron. Les said you weren't feeling well on Saturday."

"I'm better now." Cameron watched him go. "What'd he

want?" she asked House.

"Something about my suit for his wedding." House shrugged.

"I think it's sweet that you agreed to give Sullivan away," she said.

He just looked at her oddly and picked up the kit he'd gotten from

Marty. "OK, time to boogy."

She removed her labcoat and rolled up the sleeve of her mint green

sweater, then held out her arm. He gently pricked a vein with a

needle and drew a small vial of blood, then handed her a cup. "Go

pee."

The Adams assay tested both blood and urine for markers indicating

pregnancy. It was fast and very accurate, even early in pregnancy,

because it combined the two tests.

By the time Cameron returned, House had checked the blood and was

smiling. She knew what that meant. But they needed the confirmation

of the urine test.

Looking at the remainder of the blood sample, Cameron had a thought.

"Rhonda's blood had elongated platelets. We've never tested adult

blood since no adults have ever shown symptoms of the Brazilian flu.

I'd like to run some blood tests on the adult relatives of some of

our Brazilian flu patients."

"Sounds logical" House said, then held up the test strip so she could

see it. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and

grinned, then threw her arms around him. "You were right! We did it!"

He kissed the top of her head, then closed his eyes to let it sink

in.

Cameron finally pulled away. "I'm going to ask Taylor to let me set

up the tests."

"You should work on this with another doctor" House suggested.

"I can do it myself," she said.

"Allison, have you already forgotten that you're pregnant? This could

turn into lots of work, lots of tests."

"OK, so who do you suggest?" She thought he might volunteer himself.

"How 'bout Lloyd? The two of you seem to get along well."

"Much as I like her, she's not the most thorough doctor. Maybe Tanaka

or Billings."

"How about Davidson while you're at it?"

"You've got to be joking!" she exclaimed. "After what he pulled with

us and all the kids during the class visit?"

"Why not? Show him you're willing to share the glory. And the hard

work."

"I've always liked the way you think, Dr. House." She grinned

at his deviousness. "OK, I'm off to see Taylor." She began to leave.

"Allison, we should tell Gretchen tonight," he said. She came back and

hugged him, and then left.


	62. Chapter s 126 and 127

__Well, the pink house is ready and it's the evening before moving day, a day that can be quite traumatic.__

**Chapter 126. MOVIN' OUT**

"Gretchen, there's something we need to tell you." Cameron pursed her lips before going on.

The girl looked at her parents' serious faces and began to worry.

"What?" she asked. "Is there something wrong?" Frown lines creased

her usually smooth forehead. "Did something happen to the house?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong, sweetheart!" her mother hastened to reassure

her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, tell her already!" an impatient House exclaimed.

"I'm getting to it." Cameron took a breath, but before

she could say another word, House said, "We're pregnant."

Gretchen's eyes went wide. She looked at each of them for

confirmation and when Cameron nodded, she grinned from ear to ear.

"Outrageous!" She hugged her mother, than her father. "We're having

a baby!"

He closed one eye and tilted his head. "Technically, your mother is, but you and I have to help. We should celebrate, go out for dinner. After all your mother's eating for two now."

"Pizza," Gretchen suggested.

House frowned. "How 'bout Chinese?" He looked at his two girls. "No

wait. Allison, you decide."

She looked from one to the other and back again. "They don't make Chinese pizza, do they?"

"You gotta stop trying to please the two of us all the time," House insisted.

She laughed. "Have you ever thought that it's easier than trying to

make a decision myself? It's not always just out of the goodness of

my heart."

Their good mood lasted through dinner (they finally decided on

Thai food) and into the night.

The next morning the movers arrived at nine to pack up all of their

belongings and load the furniture and boxes in their truck to take to

the house. It was moving day. Cameron and Gretchen's stored furniture

had already been moved in the day before.

House and Cameron insisted that Gretchen go to school. There wasn't

much she could do to help. She didn't mind too much because she had exciting news she wanted to share with her friends - she was going to be a big sister. She'd

take the school bus home with Audra after school and meet them at

their new home to help unpack.

But House and Cameron had taken the day off. They waited at the apartment for the movers to arrive, and watched as each item was loaded. Once the men had removed all of the furniture, House stood looking at his empty apartment, the place he'd lived for so many years. A place that held memories both good and bad. But he knew he had to let go of that now. He was starting a new phase of his life.

Cameron touched his arm. "Greg, let's go," she coaxed. "We want to

be there before they arrive so we can instruct them where

everything should go in the house."

He nodded. They walked out together. He got on his bike and she loaded

Junior into the family bus. His Corvette was already in the garage at the house.

When Cameron pulled into the driveway at the house, she saw a

middle-aged Indian woman get out of a car in the next-door driveway.

Cameron drove the bus into the garage, got out and took Junior, then

walked over to her new neighbor.

"You must be Mrs. Nayar. I'm Allison Cameron." She held out her hand.

Mrs. Nayar took it. Her handshake was firm. "My daughter mentioned

you'd be moving in soon."

"The truck is on it's way," Cameron told her.

"I'm Sundra. S-U-N," she spelled out. "Most people think it's Sandra

but it is not."

"And this is Junior," Cameron introduced the puppy.

"A Basset, no?" Sundra asked. "He's very sweet."

House pulled up on the bike, rolling his eyes at Cameron. Already

getting to know the neighbors. Then he looked at the garage. With

the bus and the Corvette in it, there wasn't any room for the bike.

They'd have to do something about that. Meanwhile, he rode it to the

side of the garage and got off, grabbed his cane, and headed for the

house, ignoring the women.

Cameron saw Sundra watching him. But she wasn't about to make excuses

for his behavior or even try to explain it. "Well, I guess I'd better

go."

"Let me know if you need anything," Sundra said.

"I will. Thank you," Cameron said smiling at her and walking towards

her new home.

**Chapter 127. THAT'S WHEN I KNEW THAT I WAS HOME**

"See you have a new best buddy," House said when Cameron joined him

inside.

"It never hurts to get to know the neighbors," she countered. She

surveyed the furniture that had been dropped off the day before. "Oh,

that's not right!" she exclaimed when she realized the movers who brought her furniture from storage had put her kitchen table in the dining room and her dining room table in the living room. "Come help me move these."

House waved his cane. "Uh, in case you haven't noticed lately, cripple

here."

She rolled her eyes. "OK, I'll do it myself." She began to lift a

chair.

"Oh, no. Wait for the movers. I don't want you lifting anything

either. Not in your delicate condition."

Cameron smirked, but she knew he was right. She walked into the

kitchen to see what else had been done and relaxed. Now, this was

perfect. House walked up behind her, his eyes scanning the room.

"Woah! Outrageous!" he exclaimed. "I even got my vending machine."

Granted it was just for soda pop and beer, and they'd have to keep it

stocked, but he really hadn't expected it.

The movers finally arrived with everything from the apartment and they got to work telling them where each piece of furniture went, and where they wanted which boxes.

Cameron shook her head at one point. "No, THAT piano goes in the family room, the other one goes...maybe in the living room."

A little later she nodded. "Yes, that's the dresser for the master bedroom. And we want the MATCHING nightstands there too."

"I don't remember that lamp." House studied a torchiere. "Are you sure it's ours?"

Hours passed as they tried to get everything set so they didn't have

to move any of it themselves, and finally the movers left. But House

and Cameron no sooner sat down on the family room couch to rest,

with House fooling around on one of his guitars before he hung it on

a wall, when they heard Gretchen at the door and Junior's yips of

greeting.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home," she called out.

"We're in the family room," Cameron called back.

She walked slowly back to join them with the dog at her heels,

looking around at how their stuff changed the appearance of all the

rooms, and smiling at the feeling of comfort it gave her to see all

the familiar furniture.

"We put your boxes in your room. You can put things away however

you want," her mother told her as she dropped her school pouch and

took off her jacket.

"Everything looks great!" she said.

"Go see the kitchen," House encouraged her.

She left, but came running back rather quickly. "Whatever happened

to the restaurant booth I wanted?" she whined. "Dad got his vending

machine. Why do we have to use that ratty old table and chairs?"

Neither of her parents had thought about her request. Cameron had

just assumed they'd use the table and chairs they had. She looked at

House to see if he had a solution for this.

But all he said was, "You're disappointed, aren't you?" Seeing her nod

in agreement, he continued, "Why don't we see how we can fit a booth

into the room."

Cameron wondered what he was up to as he limped into the kitchen

with Gretchen. The girl looked at the eating area, the big bay window

and the entertainment center. The doorway to the dining room faced

the window and opposite the wall with the entertainment equipment

was the work area of the kitchen.

"I guess they couldn't fit it in, huh?" the girl finally said.

"Guess not" her father agreed. "Maybe we can figure out someplace

else for a booth like you wanted."

"Yeah, maybe." Gretchen had calmed down. They returned to the family

room and she sat down between her parents. House picked up the

guitar again and Gretchen asked, "Can you teach me to play?"

House shrugged. "You've played the violin and now the viola, should

be a piece of cake." He handed her the instrument and showed her

some of the fingering. Soon she was strumming some simple chords.

Cameron leaned back with a smile. Did it ever get any better than

this? That's when she knew she was finally home.


	63. Chapters 128-129

__Here are your Saturday night chapters. Hope you enjoy.__

**Chapter 128. FRIENDLY PERSUASION**

"Dr. Davidson," Cameron called to her colleague as he walked towards

his office. He stopped and let her catch up with him. "Did Dr. Taylor

tell you about my proposal?" she asked.

"You want to test all the parents of our flu patients, see whether

any of them have the markers for the disease," he said. "Waste of

time, if you ask me." He dismissed the whole idea.

Cameron knew she'd need all her powers of persuasion to convince

him to work with her on this. "It will help us learn more about how

the flu is transmitted and why adults seem to be immune," she began

to explain. "There's got to be a reason that once someone reaches

a certain age, they no longer manifest the symptoms."

"What do you want me to do about it? This is your baby, you're the

expert," he said.

"But I want fresh eyes to look at it, someone who is an excellent

doctor and very knowledgeable in the area of infectious diseases."

Cameron hoped she wasn't laying it on too thick.

Obviously not, because Davidson looked pleased. "You think I'm an

excellent doctor?" he asked for confirmation.

"Well, of course you are." She flashed her biggest smile at him.

He was hooked. "So, tell me again how we're going to do this."

"I've already started with Janie Yamagawa's mother. We discharged

Janie this morning and her mother came to take her home. She

consented to letting me draw some blood. I haven't looked at it

under a scope yet, but that's where I'm going next. Care to join

me?"

Davidson was smiling now. Maybe Dr. Cameron wasn't trying to show him

up after all. And she certainly was easy on the eyes.

Lunchtime found Marty Wilson trying to decide between the meatloaf

and the roast beef sandwich. Eating in the hospital cafeteria at

least one meal a day had definitely improved his diet. He finally

decided on the meatloaf, with mashed potatoes and those peas with the

little onions. A cup of coffee and a slice of cherry pie finished

his selections.

He paid the cashier and looked around for a place to sit, but all the

tables were taken. Then he noticed Nancy Lloyd sitting alone at a

table for two. His day was looking brighter.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked before setting his tray of food down.

"Not at all," Nancy said, looking up at him with a smile and placing

the article she was reading to the side. "I see you picked the

meatloaf. Good choice."

He noticed that was what she was eating too. "People complain about

the food here, but when you live alone and aren't much of a cook,

it's a life saver." He hoped that didn't sound like he was fishing

for her to cook for him.

"I do cook," she said. "But it's nice not to have to. And sometimes

I don't even bother because it's just for me." She hoped that didn't

sound like she wanted someone to cook for.

They continued awkwardly like that for a while, each saying something

and then instantly regretting it. Finally, Nancy came right out and

said, "Would you like to come to dinner Friday night?"

Marty was so astonished that he said, "Yes", before even thinking about

it.

Cameron decided it was time for her daily trip to NICU to check on

little Joey Samuels. She found his parents watching him through

the window and holding hands.

"Hello Michael, Rhonda," she greeted them.

"Oh, hi Dr. Cameron," Michael said.

"How's Joey today?" Cameron asked.

"The nurse said he gained four more ounces. He'll be able to come

home by next Monday!" Rhonda sounded so excited.

Cameron looked from one to the other. "Have you contacted your family

yet for help? If they can assist you, the social workers won't keep

you from taking him home."

They looked at each other almost guiltily. "I did call my mother,"

Michael said. "She...she said I can come see her on Saturday."

"She'll help you with Joey?"

"Well, uh, I didn't tell her about him. Or even Rhonda," he had to

admit.

"Dr. Cameron, could you come with us?" Rhonda practically pleaded.

"So you can explain about Joey?"

Cameron felt for these kids. They were so desperate to have their

son. She had to agree with House. They should be the ones to raise

him. If she could convince Michael's mother to help, maybe things

would work out.

"When are you going?" she asked.

"In the afternoon," Michael said. "She's living with her brother, the

uncle I'm named for."

Cameron made a decision and hoped she wouldn't regret getting so

involved. "OK. I'll come with you."

**Chapter 129. I'M SORRY**

"So Davidson is willing to work with you?" House asked Cameron as

they were relaxing in the family room after dinner that night.

"I massaged his ego a little and that's all it took," she replied.

"Just make sure that's all you massage," House remarked.

Ignoring his comment, Cameron told him, "We checked a sample from the

mother of one of the kids who was discharged today."

"And?"

"And her platelets were elongated. I'm not even sure what that means

anymore." She shook her head.

"You'll figure it out."

She smiled at his confidence in her, quite a change from the House

she knew ten years and more before. "I also saw Michael and Rhonda

today."

"Visiting their offspring no doubt. I know you're still checking on

him," House accused.

"And you haven't been?" She watched him for any change of expression,

but he didn't even smirk. "Michael finally called his mother."

"So, is she going to help them?"

"He didn't tell her about the baby, or Rhonda either, for that

matter," Cameron said. She noticed that Gretchen was listening

intently to the conversation. "He and Rhonda are going to see his

mother on Saturday and they've asked me to go with them."

"Allison, you're getting too involved again," House warned.

"They say they want me to explain about the baby's health, but I

think they just need moral support. Besides, we didn't have anything

planned for Saturday, did we?"

"We were going to pick up my dress and get the shoes to go with it,"

Gretchen reminded her.

"Oh, yes we were. Well there's no reason we can't do both," Cameron

told her daughter. "We'll pick up the dress if it's ready, and then

you can come with us to see Michael's mother."

"What about the shoes?" Gretchen wanted to know.

"If we get back early enough we can buy them then. Otherwise, we can

do it on Sunday or some evening next week."

"OK." Gretchen shrugged.

"And that will give your father the chance to be fitted for his tux

for the wedding," Cameron went on.

House gave her a dirty look.

"You're going to have to do it sometime," she said.

"Yes, mother," he said. He seemed to be a little distracted, looking

for something. He reached between the couch cushions, but came up

empty handed. "Allison, have you seen my new GameCube?"

"Isn't it on the piano? I saw it there last night." She got up to

look, but it wasn't there. She checked every flat surface in the room

and still couldn't find it.

Gretchen had grabbed her school pouch and was easing her way out of

the room, mumbling something about homework. She should have known

that wouldn't fool her parents.

"Gretchen, do you know anything about where it is?" her father asked

in a tone she'd never heard him use towards her before. She knew

he was getting angry, but trying to hold it in.

"I...I..." she began.

"Gretchen?" Obviously, her mother wouldn't protect her from her father's wrath.

She closed her eyes and tried to keep her composure. "I was playing

with it after I got home from school today and spilled some soda on

it."

"Where is it now?" House asked through tight lips.

She tried to look him in his icy blue eyes. "In my school pouch. I thought I'd take it to the computer club advisor at school and see if he could fix it."

"Fix it?"

"It...uh, it stopped working after I spilled the soda." She pressed

her lips together, trying not to cry, not knowing how much she looked

like her mother used to.

"Why didn't you tell us immediately?" Cameron asked.

"I didn't want to get in trouble," she said, but she knew she was.

"Gretchen, you know you're supposed to respect other people's

property, don't you?" her mother asked.

"Yes." Her voice quavered. "But it wasn't 'other people's', it was

Dad's."

"Your Dad is another person, too," Cameron told her. "I expect you

to ask before you touch anything that belongs to your father or to

me."

Gretchen looked from her mother to her father and back.

"Give me the Cube," House said, in a rather stern voice.

She took it out of her pouch and handed it to him. "Dad, I'm sorry.

Really, really sorry."

"I think you should go do your homework now. No games, no messaging

Emily or Tommy," he said.

"But you were going to show me some more guitar stuff tonight," she

whined.

He just looked at her. She finally broke eye contact and looked down

at the floor, and headed off to her room.

_It was about time that Gretchen did something to show she isn't perfect, and for her to see her father angry with her for once. But how long can he stay angry?_


	64. Chapters 130-132

__Here are three short chapters. But as short as they are, they are crucial.__

__And you know how much I love to hear from you.__

**Chapter 130. WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW?**

Gretchen returned from walking the dog the next morning to find her mother scrambling eggs for breakfast.

"Good Morning, Mom" she said tentatively. She didn't know what to expect.

"Wash your hands and come have breakfast," Cameron said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Your school bus will be here in fifteen minutes."

The girl did as she was told, but after taking a forkful of eggs she asked, "Are you still mad at me?"

"Should I be?" her mother countered. Her voice softened. "Gretchen I'm more disappointed than mad."

"Oh." Gretchen thought about that as she took a bite of toast. "Dad doesn't hate me, does he?" It was what she feared the most.

"Why shouldn't I?" her father asked gruffly, as he entered the kitchen. Cameron handed him a mug of coffee and he sat down across from his daughter.

Gretchen put her fork down. Her appetite was gone. "I promise, I'll never touch your things again, and I'll always tell you when I make a mistake, and..."

"I've been thinking about your punishment," House interrupted her.

"But wasn't I punished already last night?" What else did he want?

"You're gonna pay to have the Cube fixed," he said.

"Oh," she said meekly. She knew that was fair. "I only have about thirty dollars."

"I'll let you know how much it costs to fix. Now eat your breakfast. Your school bus will be here soon." He echoed what her mother had said.

She nodded and tried to eat, but the thought that her father no longer loved her was too overwhelming. "I think I'm finished." She got up and started to take her plate away.

"I'll eat the rest if you really don't want it." House reached for the plate.

Gretchen looked at him, her eyes full of tears, then turned to get her school pouch.

"Goodbye, Sweetheart," her mother said. "We'll see you this afternoon."

She ran to her mother and hugged her, burying her head in her mother's chest. "I love you, Mom," she said. Then she grabbed her pouch and began to leave.

"Hey, what about me?" her father said with a frown.

She looked at him in astonishment, then came back again to throw her arms around him, too. "I love you Dad, and I'm so sorry."

He nodded. "I know. I love you too, kiddo."

She let out a sigh and smiled for the first time that morning. Then she was gone.

"So, you're going to make her pay to have the Cube fixed?" Cameron asked.

"Can't be fixed. I'll have to get another one."

"But you told her..."

"I lied."

**Chapter 131. Well, What Do You Know?**

Davidson was waiting outside Cameron's office when she arrived at the

hospital.

"About time," he accused as she opened the door and they entered.

"I had to get my daughter off to school," she said, although she

didn't really owe him an explanation.

"Yes, I met her the other day." He picked up the picture of

Gretchen from her desk, then the one of Gretchen with House. "She

was...polite." He put the pictures down.

"So, let's get started. We need blood samples from the parents of

our patients," she told him.

"Why are you so sure that the elongated platelets are indicators of

the flu virus?" he asked skeptically.

"That's what we all asked early on. But then we established that all

flu patients had that marker and tests on patients since then have

confirmed it."

"But why are they elongated?"

"Ah, now that's a better question, one we still haven't answered.

Hopefully the research that you and I do will help us answer it."

"What about testing the general population?" he asked next.

She smiled at him. "I like the way you're thinking." Maybe it wasn't

a mistake to work with him on this. "Although that would take

manpower that we don't have. But there is one more thing we should

do. We should chart our patients by age and sex and which antibiotic

was effective."

"Oh, joy!" he said sarcastically.

She had to laugh. "I know, kind of a boring job, but it's got to be

done."

There was a knock on the open office door. They both looked in that

direction as Chase came in.

"Got another one of your flu patients." He waved a patient

info disk. "His parents brought him into the ER early this morning

because he was having trouble breathing."

"I'll go examine him and get blood samples from him and his parents,"

Davidson volunteered, but he didn't move.

"Anything so you don't have to do these charts, huh?" Cameron smirked.

"Why are you getting blood samples from his parents?" Chase asked.

"Part of a study on how the flu is transmitted and why adults appear

to be immune," Cameron explained.

Chase nodded and started to leave. "Oh, Cameron, any chance House

will be getting fitted for his tux soon?"

"I've half convinced him to go tomorrow. Gretchen and I have to pick

up her dress and then, well, we have something else to do," she said.

"But you've known House even longer than I have, Chase. You can't

get him to do anything until he's good and ready."

"Yes, that's what I was afraid of."

"Chase, he wants to walk Sully down the aisle. If he has to wear a

tux to do that, he will," she said.

Chase nodded, but stopped again before he left. "Les told me you've

moved into the house."

"Yes. You should come over and see it. How about Sunday? Bring Harry.

He and Junior can run around the yard with Gretchen and we'll show

you the house."

"I'll check with Leslie," Chase said. But another thought stopped him

from walking away. "I hear congratulations are in order. Again," he

said with a smile.

Cameron looked at him quizzically so he tapped her stomach.

"James Wilson has a big mouth!" she exclaimed. Either House had

told him or Gretchen had told Tommy who told his father, or both,

and now it would be all over the hospital. But she was smiling as

Chase finally walked away.

Davidson had been almost transfixed listening to them. Things were

becoming clearer to him about his new colleague. "Well, I'm off to

see this new patient." He took the disk that Chase had left.

He passed Lloyd, who was returning to the office after doing her

morning rounds.

"So he's really working on this with you?" she asked Cameron.

"Yes, can you believe it?" Cameron sat down at her desk and began to

create a grid using a spreadsheet program. Nancy just stood watching

her. She was debating with herself about whether to ask something

when Cameron turned to her and asked, "What is it? What's on your

mind?"

"Well, um, I just wanted to ask what you know about Marty Wilson,"

Nancy finally said.

Cameron chuckled to herself. _I'll be darned!_ she thought. _The_

_squirt was right._ She thought about the little she'd learned from

House and Wilson. "I don't know much. He's Wilson's younger brother.

A couple of years younger. That would make him about 47 or 48."

"Has he ever been married?"

Cameron raised her eyebrows. "I don't think so. Um, he has a degree

in Biology I think, but couldn't handle med school. Nancy, he had a

problem with alcohol and pills. Emphasis on 'had'. For a while he

couldn't hold a job, wound up homeless. But he's been clean for over

a year and he seems determined to stay that way." She watched her

friend's facial expression range through disappointment, sadness,

and concern to hope. "He seems to be doing really well with his job

here, and he's crazy about Tommy." Okay, so those were just some

impressions but she usually had a pretty good read on people.

"I invited him to dinner at my place tonight," Nancy told her. "I

thought it was better than eating alone. It does get lonely sometimes

you know."

Cameron smiled. "Gretchen and I had a talk the other day about the

difference between being alone and being lonely."

"That's one smart kid you've got there," Nancy said smiling.

"You can say that again," Cameron said, smiling back.

**Chapter 132. AND WE CALL IT BELLA NOTTE**

Marty checked himself one more time before he knocked at Nancy's

door. His shirt was clean and his slacks were neatly creased. He'd

brought a mix of tulips and chrysanthemums, since he wasn't about to

bring a bottle of wine he couldn't, or shouldn't drink.

Nancy opened the door, wearing navy slacks and a shiny red shirt.

Her hair was down. He couldn't remember ever seeing it like that but

it suited her.

"Come in." She smiled at him. He handed her the flowers and

followed her into the kitchen. She opened a cabinet. "These

are beautiful. I think I have a vase in here somewhere." She took one

down, filled it with water, sniffed the flowers, then placed them in

the vase.

The kitchen smelled wonderful. He saw several pots on the range top.

Marty followed Nancy again, this time into the dining room where she

put the vase in the center of a table set for two. A black and white

cat turned to look at him from it's chair near the window, licked

a paw, then turned back.

"Sit," Nancy told him. "Everything's about done. I'll be right back

with the salad."

She brought out a bowl of Italian tossed salad and sat down opposite

him. But the vase was so tall that they had to look around it to see

each other. Rather than move it, she moved around to the seat catty

corner to him bringing her place setting and salad with her.

He didn't see any wine on the table, just water and iced tea. He

relaxed. He hadn't realized how concerned he'd been. Once they'd

finished their salads, she brought out the platters of meatballs in

a tomatoey sauce, spaghetti, and garlic bread. Just the smell of the

sauce told him she was an excellent cook. He took a good-sized

helping of everything.

As they ate, an orange and white tabby peaked around the corner. The

cat had a sweet face but appeared to be a real scaredy cat.

Marty knew that once they stopped eating they'd actually have to talk

to each other, but he didn't know what to say. Between the main

course and the cheesecake dessert he did manage to say, "That was truly

wonderful! Best thing I've eaten in a long time." That got a smile from Nancy, so he was encouraged to add, "You can cook for me anytime." Then he wondered if he'd gone too far. Would she think he was begging her to cook for him? Or that he only liked her for her cooking? He had to say, "I like your hair down like that." The comment brought a bright smile so he figured he'd said the right

thing.

"Thank you," Nancy said simply. "I'm glad you enjoyed the meal. I

don't get to cook for anyone else much."

They went back to eating in silence, but the mood had lightened.

"Can I help you clear the table?" Marty asked when they'd finished.

"Oh, that's not necessary," she said. "Go sit on the couch and I'll

join you in a little while."

He did as he was told. True to her word, Nancy just put the dishes in

the dishwasher and came to sit beside him.

"So, how do you like working at PPTH?" Nancy asked. She knew it was

a kind of lame conversation starter, but they had to start somewhere.

"It's probably the best job I've ever had." He wasn't sure how much

to tell her about his past, or how much she already knew. "I guess

some people would find it boring, but compared to my last job, it's

fantastic."

"What did you do?"

"I bussed tables at a Mexican restaurant," he replied. "All you could

say about that was the free meals were good."

"I understand what you mean. I bussed tables when I was in med

school. The things people leave on their plates!" They both chuckled.

"I just hope things don't change when my new boss starts next week,"

Marty said.

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

The black and white cat had abandoned his post at the window and

hopped up between them on the couch. He looked at each of them, then

daintily stepped over Marty's lap before curling up in a ball against

him. Marty tentatively rubbed his silky coat.

Nancy smiled. "He must like you. He doesn't usually get this close

to visitors."

Soon the orange and white one joined them as well. She made herself

comfortable on Nancy's lap. "He's Fred and she's Ginger," Nancy said.

"Oh! That's great!" Marty grinned. "Guess you like old movies."

"Well, yes," she said.

"You know, there's a Hitchcock retrospective going on in town. All of

his classics, even some that are rarely shown."

She nodded. "I read about that somewhere."

"Would you like to go some evening?" he asked.

She didn't have to think long. "Sure. There are a few I've never

seen. 'Rope', 'The 39 Steps', oh, and I've never seen 'Notorious'".

"I'll check the schedule and let you know."

"OK. Sounds great."

Neither of them knew where this was going, but so far so good.


	65. Chapters 133-135

__It's that time of year again. Beginning on Saturday I'll be busy with the International Balloon Fiesta here in town, so posting will be less regular.__

__And I hope you're sitting as you read the next chapter. You're in for a bit of a surprise. I was surprised myself when this idea came to me when I first wrote this several years ago.__

**Chapter 133. BLAST FROM THE PAST**

On Saturday, after lunch and a quick kiss goodbye for House, Cameron

took Gretchen to the bridal shop to pick up her dress. Cameron was

anxious to see it, although she knew that if Gretchen and House both

liked it, it was certain to be very pretty.

The shop was busy, but the saleswoman, Magda, who'd helped Sullivan

and her attendants, saw them as soon as they entered.

"Gretchen, dear. Is this your mother? But of course it is," she

gushed.

Cameron just smiled sweetly at her, well, grimaced really.

"I'll just get the dress. You'll be wanting to try it on."

Cameron and Gretchen looked at each other as Magda walked away. They

hadn't thought about that, but they had enough time and Cameron

wanted to see how the dress looked on her daughter. Before long,

Magda returned with Gretchen's dress.

"Oh!" Cameron gasped. It really was lovely.

"That dressing room is free." Magda led Gretchen to it, carrying the dress. Cameron followed.

"Mom, come in and help me."

But Cameron wasn't prepared for the transformation the dress caused

in her little girl.

"Oh!" she gasped again. "It...you...you look beautiful."

Gretchen grinned. "Dad said I looked like a fairytale princess."

She twirled once to give her mother the full effect.

Cameron smiled. "He was right. But then, he's always right."

They drove to a middle-class part of town where Michael and Rhonda

rented a possibly illegal basement apartment in a two-story house

of nondescript design. The young couple was waiting for them at

the curb, looking decidedly nervous.

Cameron realized she had no idea why Michael's father and mother had

split, or why his father had moved with his two teenage sons so far

away, but she expected she'd find out more.

"My mom and uncle live on the other side of Princeton," Michael said,

but, after giving Cameron directions, he became silent.

They drove into another middle-class subdivision, and this time

pulled up to a split-level, probably built some time in the '80s or

'90s. The four of them walked to the door and Michael rang the bell,

then knocked for good measure.

A woman not much older than Cameron, but looking quite a bit older,

answered the door.

"Hi, Mom," Michael said.

"Michael!" she exclaimed. "Look at you!"

"Mom, uh, this is my girlfriend Rhonda and, um, this is Dr. Cameron

and her daughter, Gretchen."

"Oh, I didn't know you were bringing anyone." She held the door open. "I guess you can all come in."

"Irene, who's there?" a male voice came from somewhere inside the

house.

"It's Michael. I told you he was coming today, Mike. And he's brought

some friends." Irene Samuels was obviously unsure of why her son

had brought these people.

A tall man with close-cropped white hair came up behind Michael's

mother. Cameron's eyes went wide.

"Well, well. Dr. Cameron. This is a surprise. What are you doing with

this woman, Michael?"

"You know Dr. Cameron?" Michael was astonished.

"Oh, we go way back, don't we?" he asked, not bothering to hide the

snide tone.

"I see you haven't changed, Tritter," Cameron said, equally as

snidely. This was turning into a disaster.

"Mike, this is Michael's girlfriend, Rhoda," Irene said, oblivious to

the animosity between Cameron and Tritter.

"That's Rhonda, Mom," Michael corrected.

"Oh, right. I guess you know Dr. Cameron. The child is her daughter."

Tritter again asked his nephew, "What are you doing with this woman?"

Michael blanched. "Uh, I came to tell my mom something and I asked

her to help."

"Guess you knocked up your little girlfriend here, didn't you?"

"Well, I, I mean..." Michael turned to Cameron. "Dr. Cameron, can

you tell them? Please!"

Cameron sighed. She wasn't sure now how this would go over with

Irene Samuels, but she knew for certain that Tritter wouldn't take

it well. So she ignored him and appealed to Joey's grandmother.

"Mrs. Samuels, Michael and Rhonda have a baby boy, Joey. He was born

prematurely and he was sick," she began.

Now that she'd started the ball rolling, Michael was able to go on.

"Dr. Cameron and Dr. House cured him and he's doing really well now,

but we're going to need help or else Children's Services will take

him away."

"House, huh? That old druggie still practicing medicine?" Tritter

asked.

"He saved our son!" Rhonda spoke for the first time. "He's not a

druggie, is he Dr. Cameron?"

"No, he's not," Cameron confirmed.

"Still lying for that miserable cripple?" Tritter accused.

"Why are you being so mean to my mom?" Gretchen asked defiantly.

"And saying mean things about my dad?"

"Your dad, huh? Why am I not surprised?" Tritter said.

Cameron ignored him. "Mrs. Samuels, if you would just agree to

provide some support to Michael and Rhonda, Children's Services will

be satisfied."

"I...I don't know." She looked at her brother for advice.

"You can't even support yourself," Tritter spat out. "Irene, why would

you want to support a kid who abandoned you and his slutty girlfriend

and their b stard?"

"My brother's right," Irene said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Tritter told her.

But they could tell she felt badly about refusing.

"He's such a cute little baby." Gretchen hoped to change her

mind.

But Irene just shook her head. "I'm sorry. I think you'd better leave."

**Chapter 134. Backstory**

Once they were back in Cameron's family bus, she asked Michael "Why did your parents split?"

"What?" Michael was disconcerted by her question.

"Why did your father leave your mother and then move away with you and your brother?" Cameron expanded her question.

Michael sighed, then prepared to tell her the whole story. "Long before my father met her, my mom was a drug addict, but with Uncle Mike's help, she cleaned up her act. She met Dad and they had us and everything was great. Then, maybe ten years ago, things began to fall apart. Dad lost his job - downsizing of his company I think - and my brother got sick. I guess Mom couldn't cope, so she started taking drugs again. I'm sure it wasn't as simple as that, but it's how it seemed to me." He stopped to catch his breath. It was evident how painful it was for him to recount the story.

"Michael, you don't have to go on," Cameron said.

"No, it's OK. I need you to understand. My uncle blamed my dad. He wanted Mom to quit again, cold turkey I guess they call it. Dad thought she needed help to do it. The more they fought, the worse Mom got. But then Uncle Mike gave up for a while, and Mom seemed to be doing better. Dad had a new job and his medical insurance covered her therapy. Then Uncle Mike was back. He came over one day while Dad was at work. Somehow he convinced her that the therapy was a crutch, that she didn't need it. What she needed was to leave us. She'd be fine if she didn't have the pressure of trying to raise two 'brats'. That's what he called us, brats."

"So that's why you were hesitant to call her, you knew Tritter wouldn't let her help," Cameron concluded.

"But I still hoped that if, maybe, he was right and she was much better, she'd be able to stand up to him. Guess she's not."

"So now what will we do?" Rhonda asked. "How will we get Children's Services to let us take Joey home? I really wanted to have him home with us for Thanksgiving."

"We'll just have to explore your other options." Cameron wasn't willing to give up hope.

They'd arrived back at Michael and Rhonda's apartment. Cameron and Gretchen both felt bad about leaving them so disheartened, but there was little more they could do.

They headed home. They were expecting Clair and Emily to arrive in a few hours. Their friends were moving that weekend and would stay at their house until their own was ready.

But Cameron couldn't help thinking about what few remaining options Michael and Rhonda had, and how she was going to tell House about the part Tritter was playing in all of this.

**Chapter 135. It's Fitting**

The minute House opened the door to the formal wear shop he rolled

his eyes. A salesman approached, appraising his appearance. His tall

frame in the usual jeans, t-shirt, and leather jacket, his feet in

expensive athletic shoes, the cane and limp, and the stubbled face.

With barely concealed disdain, the salesman asked "May I help you?"

then added a hasty "sir", since you never knew.

"Chase-Sullivan wedding. I'm here for a tux." House dared him

to make something of that.

"Ah," the salesman said, wondering if this was the bride's father.

Without asking about size, he left and soon returned with a suit.

"This is the tuxedo that Dr. Chase selected," he said, holding it out

for House's inspection.

"Yeah, yeah," House said impatiently. "Where do I try it on?" He was

directed to a dressing room and before long emerged, completely

transformed.

The salesman was astonished by the change. Truly, his motto of

'clothes make the man' was reinforced. "Let me help you with the

tie." After tying it to House's displeasure, he stepped back. This

man could certainly wear clothes well. "I don't think we'll need to

make any alterations, Mr...?"

"House. Dr. House. So, I can just take it? I won't have to come

back?"

"Well, yes," the salesman said.

"Good." House returned to the dressing room, changed back into his

own comfortable clothes, and came out carrying the tux. He paid for

it and left. It hadn't been as bad as he'd feared.

"Oh, Greg, you were right," Cameron told him as soon as he arrived

home.

"Of course," he agreed. "What about?"

"I should never have gone. Maybe if I weren't there, things might

have gone better."

"What are you talking about?" House's eyes narrowed.

"Michael's uncle was very mean to all of us. He even said mean things

about you," Gretchen told him.

"Tritter." It was all Cameron had to say before House understood.

She told him everything Michael had related about his mother and his

uncle's part in the story.

"It had to be something like that," House said.

"Yes. He needed to take his anger out on someone ten years ago.

Unfortunately, that someone was you," Cameron surmised.

"And you and everyone else close to me," House added.

"But what are we going to do about Michael and Rhonda and little

Joey?" Gretchen asked. "Rhonda wants to have him home with them

for Thanksgiving."

House sighed. He knew that Allison and Gretchen wanted to help the

young couple, and on some level he did too, but what could they do,

especially now that they knew Tritter was part of the picture?

"Did Rhonda ever call her aunt, the one she'd stayed with before

they came here?"

"I don't think so," Cameron said. "I guess we should encourage her to

do that. They're running out of options."

House nodded in agreement, but was still letting a part of his mind

work on the problem as he changed the subject. "Did Cuddy tell you

she and Wilson want us to have Thanksgiving with them?"

"Yes," Cameron nodded. "I can't believe it's in just a few days.

Before you know it Christmas will be here."

House thought back to how much she liked to celebrate Christmas, if

only in a secular way. It would be his first Christmas with Gretchen,

with a family. His thoughts were interrupted by an anxious question

from his daughter, who'd been thinking about how she could buy her

parents Christmas gifts.

"Dad, how much will it cost to repair your Cube?"

House looked at her, and with his best poker face said, "Twenty four

dollars and sixty-two cents." He'd decided to leave her with a little

pocket money.

"Oh, OK. I'll go get it," she said.

He watched her head for her room, then return immediately. She

counted out the money and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said solemnly. "Now, can you go get your dad a beer

from the Drink-o-Mate?"

As Gretchen took the can from the vending machine in the kitchen, the

phone rang. Gretchen was surprised to see Clair and Emily's home

number on the caller ID.

"House House, Gretchen speaking. Hi, Aunt Clair," she said as if it

was all one word.

"Hi, Sweetie, is your Mom there?"

"Sure, I'll go get her." But instead of taking the phone to her

mother or going to get her, she yelled out "MOM! It's Aunt Clair!"

Clair had to chuckle as she waited for her friend to come to the

phone.

"Hi, Clair. I would have thought you'd be on the road by now."

"That's why I'm calling. Our movers were late and we're only now

ready to leave," Clair explained. "I just wanted to let you know

we'll be getting there much later than we expected. Didn't want you

to worry." She knew her friend all too well.

"That's fine," Cameron said. "We'll still be here whenever you show

up. It'll be so good to see you again."


	66. Chapters 136 and 137

__Clair and Emily have arrived. Will that complicate everyone's life? We'll see.__

__Thanks for all the great comments on the last few chapters. I'd love to see some more. __

**Chapter 136. FRIENDS**

Clair and Emily finally arrived at ten-thirty, tired from their trip.

Gretchen and Emily were sent off to Gretchen's room to sleep and the

dogs followed. It took the girls a while to settle down. Although

they'd been constantly messaging each other and talking on the phone,

they still had so much to tell each other and Gretchen had to show

Emily her dress.

But they were up early Sunday morning and by nine, they and their

mothers were busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen. A bleary-eyed

House joined them before long, lured by some wonderful smells but

most of all his first cup of coffee for the day.

He looked around his kitchen filled with females, including Carrie

Anne, and lifted Junior onto his lap to tell the dog, "You and me

gotta stick together, you know. Bros before hos."

The dog looked at him, knowing he was supposed to do something but

not knowing what.

"Greg, you're in for a new treat. Clair's making her wonderful

Spanish omelets," Cameron told him.

"They really did wonders with this kitchen," Clair said, whipping some

more eggs, then deftly turning the ones in the skillet.

"Mom, after breakfast you have to see Gretchen's junior bridesmaid

dress!" Emily told her mother.

"For Dr. Chase and Dr. Sullivan's wedding, right?" Clair asked.

Soon they all had omelets in front of them. They oozed peppers,

onions, sausage, tomatoes, and cheese.

"Mom, I love this house," Emily said around a mouthful.

"Well, we'll be moving into our own after I close on it on Monday,"

Clair told her. "Just in time for Thanksgiving, too."

"Oh!" It had suddenly struck Cameron that they wouldn't be spending

Thanksgiving with Clair and Emily. "Clair, we were invited to the

Wilsons' for Thanksgiving. I hope you don't mind."

"That's OK," Clair said. "We'll probably spend the day unpacking."

"Maybe we can have Thanksgiving with Aunt Clair and Em after we eat

with Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Lisa and Tommy," Gretchen suggested.

"Never get enough Thanksgiving dinner," House agreed. As long as food

was involved he was willing.

"Or better still, they can come with us," Gretchen went on.

"Gretchen, sweetie, Em and I can't just invite ourselves to the

Wilsons'," Clair said.

"But if Tommy asks his Mom, I'll bet she'd invite us," Emily reasoned.

The two girls smiled. They'd almost forgotten how much fun it was

to manipulate adults together.

"All we have to do is ask him," Gretchen said.

"Gretchen!" Cameron rebuked.

"Wha?" Gretchen put on her father's 'what-did-I-say-now?' look.

And her father had to chuckle. "You know you're not gonna keep the

Three Amigos apart."

Cameron looked at her daughter. "I think we've created a monster

here."

"Just wait until the next one," House blurted.

"Greg!" Now Cameron had to reprimand House, whose response was the

same as his daughter's.

"Wha?"

"Wait, Allison, you're pregnant?" Clair was astonished.

"I'm afraid so," Cameron said.

"Hey, it took lots of hard work to get you that way," House said.

"And I guess you hated every minute of it," Cameron said, smirking at

him.

"Oh, Allison, how wonderful!" Clair realized that they were both

really happy about it.

They finished their breakfasts, each thinking about different things.

Later that day, Gretchen and Emily were playing in the backyard with

their dogs when Chase and Sully arrived with Harry. The girls came

around to the driveway. Carrie Anne and Junior seemed to recognize

Harry and the three Bassets chased each other for a bit as Gretchen

introduced Emily to the two doctors.

"Mom and Dad and Aunt Clair are inside," Gretchen finally said. So

they took the dogs and entered the house. "They're probably in the

kitchen or family room."

Cameron came to greet them. "We're in here." She led the way

to the family room. She and Clair had been talking about Clair's plan

for her house while House tuned them out and watched a football game.

"Clair, did you meet Dr. Chase and Dr. Sullivan when you were here

before?" Cameron asked.

"No, but you've told me about them," Clair said. "You were part of

House's team with Allison, weren't you?" she asked Chase who nodded.

"And you work for him now, Dr. Sullivan."

"That's right," the young woman said smiling. "And call me Sully."

"Their wedding is in two weeks," Cameron said.

"I've seen Gretchen's dress for the wedding. It's beautiful!" Clair

told the couple.

"And if House ever gets his tux, he'll be walking Les down the aisle,"

Chase said.

"Oh, ye of little faith!" (I know, it's kinda strange or maybe ironic

for House to say that to Chase). "Already got it."

Chase's eyebrows shot up.

"You're taking Symington's place, aren't you?" Sully asked Clair.

"It was about time he retired," House had to say.

"Well, I start tomorrow. I just hope I do a good job." Clair was

beginning to get butterflies.

**Chapter 137. Will She or Won't She? **

Irene Samuels entered the lobby of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching

Hospital on Monday morning. She walked to the information desk, but

seemed a bit bewildered. She wasn't sure whom to ask for. When the

volunteer at the desk prompted her, she sighed. "I guess I'm

here to see Joey Samuels."

The woman checked her computer. "He's in NICU." She pointed. "Take the elevator to the fourth floor and turn right. You can follow the signs from

there."

When she'd found NICU, Irene asked a passing nurse, who showed her

where Joey was. She stood at the window, watching her grandson. And

that's where she still was when Cameron found her twenty minutes

later.

"Mrs. Samuels," the doctor said.

"Oh!" Irene was startled. "Oh, Dr. Cameron. I had to see him."

"Of course," Cameron agreed. "He's your grandson."

"I don't know what you or that Dr. House did to my brother in the

past, but he's been in a state ever since your visit on Saturday."

Irene shook her head. "Dr. Cameron, he's a good man. He stood

by me when my husband abandoned me and has helped me stay clean."

That wasn't the story Michael told her, but Cameron wasn't about

to argue. However she had to explain to Irene about their past

experiences with Tritter.

"Ten years ago, while he was probably worrying about you, your

brother was examined by Dr. House at the clinic here. Dr. House

doesn't have the best bedside manner." Cameron had to smile. "Well,

Tritter was offended by the way he was treated. When he found out

that House took Vicodin for pain in his damaged right leg, Tritter

started a relentless vendetta against him and that included taking

actions against his best friend, Dr. Wilson, and against House's

staff, including me. Eventually, House went into rehab. And more

recently, he's been using a non-narcotic drug to fight the pain.

Maybe, just maybe, House deserved some of what Tritter did, but your brother

went much too far and was subsequently reprimanded."

Irene listened to the doctor but found it hard to believe that her

brother did those things. "He's a good man."

Cameron just sighed. "Will you be able to help Michael and Rhonda

with Joey?"

"I...I can't. I don't have much money of my own, and I live with

Mike. How could I help?"

"If you just sign some paperwork as an adult member of their family,

they might be able to take him home for Thanksgiving. We're hoping

one of Rhonda's relatives or even Michael's father will help once

they know about Joey."

"You don't know what you're asking." Irene whimpered.

"Mrs. Samuels, if your brother is as good a man as you say he is,

he'll let you do this," Cameron pleaded.

"I've got to go," Irene said, abruptly. But she hadn't taken two steps

before a cane blocked her path. She looked up into piercing blue

eyes.

"This is Irene Samuels, Michael's mother," Cameron said.

"Came to see her grandson, but not about to help," House surmised.

"I'm afraid you're right," Cameron confirmed.

"Run along to your evil brother." He moved his cane so

she could scamper off.

"Do you really think that helped?" Cameron asked him.

He shook his head. "Nothing will convince her to have the nerve to

help her kid and his family."

Nancy Lloyd entered the cafeteria and grabbed a tray. She took a tuna

sandwich, a bag of chips and an iced tea, paid for it all, and looked

for a seat. She'd hoped that Marty would be there. And he was, but

he was sitting with a pretty blond woman.

Nancy wondered who she was, as she took a seat on the other side

of the cafeteria. She opened her sandwich and took a bite. It seemed

dry and tasteless, and her drink was too. Her eyes kept returning

to Marty and the blond. She could no longer swallow. She put her

tray with the half-eaten food on the conveyor belt and left, not sure

why she cared so much.

When Cameron returned to her office from lunch, she found Nancy

staring into space.

"Nancy, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing." Nancy's reply was much too fast. She busied herself with her

computer, bringing up files randomly, and entering notations.

Cameron shrugged, and turned on her own computer. She had more work

to do on her Brazilian flu chart before she did her afternoon rounds.

There was a knock at the door. Both women looked up. Clair was in

the doorway.

"Hi, Clair," Cameron said with a bright smile. "How was your first

morning?"

"So far, so good," her friend replied.

"This is Nancy Lloyd, my office mate," Cameron said. "Nancy, this is

my friend Clair Palmer, the one I told you about who's taking over

as head of our labs. Marty's new boss."

So that's who she is! "Hi, Clair." Nancy felt a little better.

"Marty was telling me about you at lunch today," Clair said.

"About me?" Now Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. "Welcome to PPTH,"

she said, smiling at Clair.


	67. Chapters 138 and 139

__We'll start with Emily's first day at school and end with a phone call Cameron was not expecting.__

__Enjoy. And leave a comment if you're so inclined.__

**Chapter 138. Meeting of the Minds**

Emily's first day in her new school didn't go as badly as she

expected. Her mother brought her to the principal's office, along

with her school records from Albany, then left for the hospital.

The principal's assistant then took her to her new classroom.

"Mrs. Foreman, we have a new student for you," the assistant, Miss

Walsh told the teacher. "She just moved here from Albany. Her name

is Emily Palmer."

Dana looked at the blond girl. "I have friends who recently

moved here from Albany."

Emily thought that this must be Dr. Foreman's wife, but she didn't

want to ask in front of the whole class, so she just said, "So do I,"

and smiled.

She hoped she'd make friends as easily as Gretchen seemed to have

done, but for now she thought she'd sit back and 'observe'. Gretchen

always teased her about her tendency to do that, but she didn't like

to make hasty judgments about anyone, so she watched and listened

as the class did lessons in math (they were working on something her

previous class had just done the week before) and history.

The Oriental girl sitting next to her looked at her a few times with

a shy smile. Mrs. Foreman had called the girl 'Ningfang'. On her

other side was a boy who might be middle Eastern, she thought. His

name appeared to be Abdul.

Before long it was lunchtime. As the other children hurried off to

the school cafeteria, Emily approached the teacher. "You're Dr.

Foreman's wife, aren't you? My friends, Gretchen and Tommy, told me

about you and about the trip to the zoo last summer."

Dana smiled at her. "And your mother will be working at PPTH, right?"

"Yes, she started today. We'll be moving into our house tomorrow."

"Welcome, again, to my class. I've just been going over your school

records from Albany and it'll be a pleasure to have you in

my class," Dana said.

"Thank you," Emily told her.

"You'd better go along and get some lunch." The teacher nodded at the classroom door.

"OK." Emily smiled again and left.

Once she'd gotten her lunch, she sat down across from Ningfang. The

Chinese girl had been rather quiet in class, but now she proceeded

to tell Emily all about her new classmates, who was nice and who

wasn't, who was friends with whom, and who were the smartest kids

in the class. But it was all done in such a humorous way that Emily

had to laugh. She decided that Ningfang was her first new friend.

"Well, I've got to leave for my house closing," Clair said. "See you

later, Allie. A pleasure to meet you, Nancy."

"Pleasure to meet you too," Nancy said with a smile.

But as Clair backed out of the office, she bumped into Davidson, who

was coming in.

"Hello!" He looked at the blond with a hint of interest.

Cameron and Nancy exchanged a glance. Cameron decided she should

warn her friend about this doctor. But Clair was already halfway

down the corridor, and Davidson stood there watching her walk away.

"Dr. Davidson, you wanted something?" Cameron asked.

"Huh?" He turned to her. "Who was that?"

"The new head of the hospital labs," Nancy said.

"What did you want?" Cameron asked again.

"Oh, we've got a new Brazilian flu patient, one that'll skew your

charts," he announced with a smirk.

"Why is that?"

"She's sixteen. But she has a full-blown case of the flu and all the

markers including the elongated platelets." He handed Cameron

a disk.

She inserted it into her computer and brought up the data. The girl,

Ashley Kirk, was sixteen, a high school student. She'd been admitted

with flu symptoms and her blood tests had confirmed it was the

Brazilian flu.

"I guess I know where I'm going to start my afternoon rounds," Cameron

said. "You coming with?" she asked Davidson.

"Absolutely," he said.

**Chapter 139. ANOTHER BLAST FROM ANOTHER PAST**

Ashley seemed to relax when Davidson left her room to get another

antibiotic.

"Does he make you nervous?" Cameron asked with a little smile.

"No!" Ashley said. "Well, maybe. A little. He seems to want me to

be sicker than I am or something."

"He's on a mission to prove I don't know as much about this flu as

I think I do," Cameron said.

"Oh." Ashley thought about that a bit. "But why aren't I feeling

any better?"

"We still haven't found the right antibiotic for you. Different ones

seem to work for kids of different ages."

"Only kids get this flu, right?" Ashley asked.

"Yes. You're probably the oldest patient we've had," Cameron told her.

"Oh." Ashley thought some more, but her head was kind of foggy and

it was hard to concentrate. "Will I be better soon? I'd like to be

home for Thanksgiving."

"I know. It's always hard to be in a hospital during a holiday. If

we find the right antibiotic today, you should be well enough to go

home by Wednesday or Thursday."

"Thank you, Dr. Cameron." The teen tried to smile.

Cameron was back in her office, ready to go home, when House came for

her. They'd finally found an antibiotic that seemed to be working for

Ashley.

"You look exhausted," House said.

"It's been a loooong day," she replied.

"I saw Michael and Rhonda when they came to see the baby today," he

reported, not looking directly at her.

"You went back to the NICU?"

"No, they came to my office." He leaned on her desk and peered into

her eyes. "I didn't tell them mommy dearest had been here."

She nodded.

"You're not going to try and convince Michael's mother to help them,

are you?" he asked thoughtfully.

She shook her head. "I've learned which battles to fight, which to

leave alone, what to spend my energy on."

"Not on lost causes like that one?"

She shook her head again. "But I still want to help Michael and

Rhonda."

"Allison, I don't think we should tell the Squirt about Ilene's

visit."

"Irene," she corrected automatically. "No, we shouldn't. Who knows

what she'd do." She checked her computer one more time, added a note

to Ashley's file and her info to the Brazilian flu grid, then gathered

her things to go.

The phone on her desk rang. She glanced at the caller ID, then let it

ring.

"Wait, you're ignoring a ringing phone?" House asked incredulously.

He had to see who it was and moved toward the desk.

Cameron sighed and picked up the phone. "Bonnie?" she said.

"Allison!" Bonnie Farmer shouted. "You don't know how hard it was to

find you! Your phone in Albany was disconnected and the people at

Albany Children's said you left. I finally found someone who said

you'd moved back to New Jersey."

"Bonnie, what do you want?" Cameron wasn't impressed by her sister's

efforts to track her down.

"Want? I want to talk to my big sister!"

"Suddenly? After ten years?" Cameron demanded.

Bonnie's tone changed. "Allie, I think it's time you forgave Mom and

Dad."

"Forgave them? For judging me and turning their backs when I needed

them most? Well they're the ones who lost out."

Bonnie didn't know what she meant by the last part. "They haven't

been well this past year. I...I was hoping you could come here for

Thanksgiving, see them, talk to them."

"I'm sorry, but we have other plans," Cameron said coldly, beginning

to hang up.

"Wait, Allie, please. I want to see you. I've missed you. Billie and

I have two adorable boys and I want them to know their Aunt Allie."

She was practically pleading.

"Well, I would have liked it if you and Mom and Dad had been

interested in seeing my daughter."

"You kept the baby." Bonnie's voice was incredulous.

"Well, of course I did!"

"A girl? What is she, almost ten?"

"She was nine in June." Cameron's voice softened as it always did

when she talked about Gretchen.

"But why are you back in New Jersey? I couldn't believe you were back

at the same hospital!"

Cameron didn't feel she owed her sister an explanation. "My family

and my job are here."

"Allison, I'd like to meet my niece, and I still want you to meet

Kevin and Keith." Bonnie hadn't given up. "Could we come for a

visit when the kids have their Christmas break?"

Cameron hesitated. The truth was she missed her sister, and what had

happened wasn't really Bonnie's fault. "I'll think about it" she

said finally.

"I guess that means no." Bonnie sounded so disappointed.

"It means I'll think about it," Cameron repeated. "Bonnie, we were

just about to go home. Gretchen will be waiting for us. Bye."

"Wait a minute. Us? You said your family - more than you and your

daughter? Gretchen, that's a lovely name."

Cameron looked up at House who'd been trying to follow the conversa-

tion. "My fiancé, Gretchen's father. Bye, Bonnie. I'll call you."

She pressed 'off' on the phone. She saw House's questioning look and

knew he wouldn't let up on her until she'd told him everything.

"Let's go home. I'll tell you all about it on the way."


	68. Chapters 140 and 141

__Sorry for the delay in posting. We've been busy with Balloon Fiesta as crew for one of the pilots, and we also have relatives visiting. But this evening we've all decided to catch up on email, and I finally had a chance to post.__

__In the first of these chapters there is a section where I've completely ignored everything I've been told in my writing classes about tags and use of adverbs, but I wasn't going to change it.__

__Enjoy. And leave a comment if you're so inclined.__

**Chapter 140. TELL ME MORE, TELL ME MORE**

As they drove home, Cameron was silent for a few minutes, gathering

her thoughts. "Six months after I left PPTH, my sister Bonnie married

her high school sweetheart, Billy Farmer." At House's smirk, she

added "Yes, people actually do that. She'd asked me to be her maid

of honor, and since I'd just started a new job and couldn't get away

except for the actually wedding weekend, she told me what color dress

to buy. I hadn't told her or my parents that I was pregnant."

She could see he'd already figured out some of what happened next.

"When I arrived in Illinois, my folks were shocked. Instead of asking

why I hadn't told them, they bombarded me with 'how could you' and

'do you even know who the father is?'." There were tears in her eyes

even now, ten years later. "They made me feel like an irresponsible

teenager."

They both knew they had acted irresponsibly the night they spent

together, but the result had been their wonderful daughter. "You

don't have to tell me the rest," House said, uncharacteristically

gently.

"No, I want to. You need to know what they're like." She breathed

back her sniffles and swiped her eyes. "I should have expected their

reaction. Maybe that's why I hadn't told them. They've always been

judgmental of other people, why not me? I was tempted to leave right

away, but Bonnie the peacemaker butted in. She told me she still

wanted me to be her maid of honor and she told my parents she didn't

want her wedding day ruined."

She paused for so long, that House thought she wasn't going to say

anymore, but then she went on. "I didn't, couldn't speak to Mom

and Dad the rest of the time I was there. But I overheard them

talking about me, they made sure I did. And I was so angry I vowed

I'd never talk to them again. The wedding was fine, although I'm sure

people wondered why my parents weren't talking to me. My dress had an

empire waist and I was still small enough that no one could tell I

was pregnant. After the wedding, I left as soon as I could. I heard

from Bonnie a few times after that, but the tone of her letters and

sometimes even the words suggested that she thought I hurt my parents

and was overreacting. I never even let her know when Gretchen was

born."

Cameron swallowed and wiped her eyes again. "The reason she called

was to ask me to come home for Thanksgiving at her house. To forgive

my parents and meet her two sons."

House wasn't sure what to say. He was completely unprepared to deal

with any family relationships. "Do you want to go?" He thought he

knew the answer, but he had to ask.

"You heard when I told her we had other plans. I'm not changing our

plans for her. But then she said she wanted to bring her boys here

during winter break from school so that I could meet them and she

could meet Gretchen."

"You could go out there for the weekend, you know. After Thursday,"

he suggested.

"Not without you and Gretchen. Yet I really don't want to subject

either of you to my parents."

"We can handle it, you know." He was beginning to think of it as a

challenge as well as an opportunity to find out more about the woman

he loved. "We did OK with my father."

"Are you sure?"

"Allison, you miss your family. No matter how they treated you. And

you want to show off your daughter."

"Maybe." She began to smile. He knew her so well.

"Well, if you don't, I do. We'll check if we can get flights there

and back."

"Maybe we'd better not say anything to Gretchen until we have firm

plans," she said, feeling calmer.

They arrived home to find Gretchen on the phone. "Gotta go," the girl

said quickly, then came to greet her parents.

"Em?" curious!Cameron asked.

"Yes, she wanted to tell me about her new class" nonchalant!Gretchen

told her.

"I'm sure that's all you talked about" sarcastic!House commented.

"Well, mostly," secretive!Gretchen said.

"How was your day at school?" motherly!Cameron asked.

"Yeah, did you sic Tommy on his Mom?" prodding!House asked.

"Well, I sorta mentioned that Aunt Clair and Emily didn't have any place to go for Thanksgiving," almost truthful!Gretchen replied. "How about you guys?"

"We've got a new Brazilian flu patient," informative!Cameron told her.

"The catch is she's sixteen."

"Like Rhonda? But I thought Rhonda was too old for the flu,"

confused!Gretchen exclaimed.

"Exactly. That's the anomaly," clarifying!Cameron explained.

"Um, Mom, speaking of Rhonda, what was the name of the town she came

from?" back to nonchalant!Gretchen asked.

Cameron studied her a moment. "Beaumont. Why?" suspicious!Cameron

asked.

"Oh, you know we're studying the first states. We were talking about

people we knew from some of them," definitely lying!Gretchen replied.

House and Cameron looked at each other with raised eyebrows, but just

then there was a knock at the door.

Cameron went to open it on a frantic-looking Mrs. Nayar.

"Have you seen my father-in-law?" she asked.

Cameron shook her head. "House and I just got home."

Gretchen and House joined them in the entryway.

"What's wrong?" Gretchen asked.

"Nita's grandfather is missing," Cameron told her. "Did you see him

when you got home from school?"

"He was sitting on the porch. I waved to him and he waved back," the

girl replied.

"Nita had a class this afternoon. He was alone for only an hour,"

Sundra cried. "Where can he be?"

**Chapter 141. LOOKING FOR MR. NAYAR (I CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME)**

"He can't have gotten far" Cameron insisted. "I'll help you canvas

the neighbors," she told Sundra. "Someone must have seen him."

House seemed to come to a decision. "I'll take the bike out, check

the next few streets."

Cameron looked at him in astonishment, but Gretchen said, "I'll come

with you, Dad."

"OK, get your jacket and your helmet."

Cameron and Sundra watched them go, then split up, each taking one

side of Cherry Tree Lane.

House and Gretchen rode to the end of the street.

"Right or left?" House wondered aloud.

"Right," Gretchen decided arbitrarily.

They rode up and down the neighboring streets for twenty minutes or

so but there was no sign of the old man. Finally they'd circled

around to Lemon Tree Court.

"There he is!" Gretchen called out. "In Audra's driveway."

Sure enough, Mr. Nayar was standing in the Swenson's driveway. He

seemed mystified by Nils Swenson who was yelling at him.

House stopped the bike at the curb. As they dismounted, they heard

Swenson say, "You're trespassing. Get out of here. Go back where you

came from."

"He came from the next street over, Cherry Tree Lane," House said

through gritted teeth. "C'mon Mr. Nayar. We'll get you home."

The old man looked at House without any recognition, but when he

looked at Gretchen his eyes seemed to light up and he said, "I know

you."

"Yes, Mr. Nayar. I'm Gretchen. We live next door to you and your

family," she reminded him.

"Yes, but I can't find the house," he said.

"I'll take you." She put her hand in his. "Dad, I'll walk

him home and you can ride ahead, let Mrs. Nayar know we're on our

way. She's probably worried to death."

House smiled at her giving him orders, glared once more at Swenson,

and took off on the bike.

As Gretchen and the old man walked slowly, the girl asked, "You came

here from India, didn't you?"

"Yes," he said. "A long time ago. I was just seventeen. My father came

to teach at the University."

"You mean you lived near here all those years?" she asked.

"Not far away. For a while I was at college and university myself,

but I always came back," he said, his voice clear and strong.

"I bet these houses weren't here when you first came to New Jersey."

He looked around at the houses they were passing. "Houses," he said.

"Where are we going?" he asked falteringly. "Where's my Indira?"

Gretchen sighed. "I'm taking you to her, Mr. Nayar. Just hold my hand

and come with me."

"I need to find her," he said.

"We're almost there." They were only a few houses away. Sundra came

running to them. "He doesn't remember," Gretchen told her. "He was

fine for a while, telling me about when he came to New Jersey from

India."

House and Cameron met them in front of the Nayar's home.

"Why is he fine one minute and the next he doesn't remember?"

Gretchen asked her father.

"That's how some Alzheimer's patients are," he replied. "Is he taking

any meds for it?" he asked Sundra.

"Aricept" she answered.

"There are some newer drugs that might work better," he suggested.

"I guess I'll have to ask his doctor about that," she said. "Thank you

all for your help." She took the old man's hand. "Come with me, we'll

go inside."

"Indira?"

She sighed, looked at her neighbors and then led her father-in-law

inside.

"Can't they do anything more for him?" Gretchen wanted to know. There

was so much concern in her voice.

"There's been lots of research in recent years, but no one's been

able to find a way to reverse the damage done by this disease," House

told his daughter.

"I wish I could spend more time with my grandparents before they

start to forget things." She looked at her father, knowing how

difficult it was for him to spend time with his father. But what she

saw was a strange look pass between her parents.

"You're talking about your grandfather John and your grandmother

Blythe, aren't you?" Cameron asked.

"Well, of course." She realize she'd never talked to her mother about

her parents. "I guess I have another set of grandparents, don't I?"

There was that look again. What were her parents keeping from her?

And how could she get them to tell her?


	69. Chapters 142 and 143

__With Balloon Fiesta over and our visitor gone, I'm going to try to post several chapters over the next week before I have minor surgery a week from today. Here are the first two.__

__Enjoy. Thanks for all the great comments, but I'm greedy enough to hope for more.__

**Chapter 142. WHAT'S GOING ON?**

Wilson knocked on House's open door. "Got a minute?"

House looked up from his video game at his friend's hand. "Blue folder. One of your cancer patients" he guessed.

"Except there are symptoms that don't fit," Wilson told him.

"Reaction to your treatments?"

Wilson shook his head. "The patient has throat cancer, but these new

symptoms are in her hands and feet."

House reached for the file. "Gimme." He opened it and exclaimed, "She's eighty-four! It's arthritis."

Wilson shook his head again. "X-rays showed no signs of joint damage,"

he said, shooting down the easy diagnosis.

"And?"

"That's why I brought this to you. All the tests were negative."

House narrowed his eyes at his friend. "I'll have my staff take a

look at her. I may be going away."

"Aren't you coming to my house for Thanksgiving?"

"After that. Cameron got a call from her sister."

"I didn't even know she had a sister." Wilson was now completely

confused.

House nodded. "Seems Cameron's presence is requested to grovel at

the feet of Cameron mere and pere on Thanksgiving."

"Huh?"

"Long story." House wasn't about to repeat it. "She told her sister

that she had other plans, but Lassie's insisting she wants to see

her, show off her progeny."

"Lassie?"

House gave him a look that said 'stop asking unimportant questions'.

"And the Squirt started asking to see her grandparents after last

night's incident with the old man next door."

"What..." Wilson began, then thought better about asking anything. House

would tell the story in his own way.

"He wandered off and we had to help his daughter-in-law find him."

"Wait, you helped a neighbor?" Wilson was so incredulous he forgot

the prohibition on asking questions.

"Hey, I'm a neighborly kind of guy. Besides, his Alzheimers is

intriguing me. He's perfectly lucid one minute - he told Gretchen

all about how he came here from India when he was 17 - and then the

next he's almost in a daze. But he's always asking for his dead wife.

Probably why he wandered off."

"So you're going to see Cameron's family?" Wilson finally figured

out where all this was leading.

"You don't think Cuddy will object if we're gone a few days? I doubt

we'll be able to get a flight back for Sunday."

"I'm not going to ask her for you."

"Maybe I'll have Gretchen ask Tommy to ask her," House mused.

"Like he asked her to invite Clair and Emily for Thursday?" Wilson

grinned.

"Hey, that was Gretchen and Emily's idea."

"Looks like we're going to have a house full," Wilson said.

House raised his eyebrows.

"We asked Marty to come. When he said he had plans to take Nancy

Lloyd to a movie later in the day, of course Lisa told him to bring

her, too."

House shrugged, then smiled. "The Three Amigos strike again."

Wilson left to check on a patient, but soon House had another visitor

or rather three.

"House, I'd like you to meet my mother and brother." Sully ushered in a woman, a little older than House, with graying auburn hair and a plain but pleasant face like Leslie's, and a thirtyish man with red hair and freckles. "Mom, Sean this is my boss, Dr. House".

Sean held out a hand, but House just nodded at him and his mother.

"Leslie tells me that you'll be walking her down the aisle," Mrs.

Sullivan said. "Thank you so much."

Rather than respond, House asked Sullivan, "Don't you have two brothers?"

"Patrick was..." Sean began.

"He couldn't get away," Mrs. Sullivan said. "You know these busy

executives."

House just nodded. He understood the situation completely. Well, at

least Sullivan's mother and one brother would be at the wedding.

"We flew out this week so we could spend Thanksgiving with Leslie,"

Mrs. Sullivan continued.

"Don't you have a busy job, too, Sam?" House asked.

"That's Sean" the brother corrected. "I had some vacation coming to

me, and I hadn't seen my baby sister in a while."

House nodded again. Another interesting family dynamic. Maybe his

family and Cameron's were not any more screwed up than anyone else's.

"Well, I gotta go, sick people and all that," House said, getting up

with the aid of his cane. Then he tossed Wilson's patient's folder

at Sullivan. "Wilson wants us to look at this patient." And he walked

past them and out the door without another word. He had somewhere he had to be.

**Chapter 143. Backstory**

"Hi, Nancy," Clair said as she entered the office Cameron and Lloyd shared.

"Clair, good to see you," Lloyd replied.

"Is Allison around?"

"No, she said she had an appointment. But she should be back in half an hour."

Clair nodded. "Marty told me that you'll be at the Wilson's on Thanksgiving."

Nancy smiled. "It's been a while since I've had a big Thanksgiving dinner with anyone. I usually make a small turkey breast and share it with my cats."

Clair smiled back. "The last few years, Allie and I took our daughters to a restaurant. This'll be quite a change for us, too."

Arthur Billings popped his head in. "Lloyd, Dr. Taylor wants you to check on Mr. Kowalski."

"Dr. Billings, isn't it?" Clair asked. "I met you at Games and Grub a few weeks back with Allison Cameron," she reminded him.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry I've forgotten your name," he said, studying the pretty blond.

"Clair Palmer. I've taken over for Symington in the labs."

"Of course." He held out his hand. She smiled as she shook it. "Nice to see you again," he added, then left.

"Not very chatty, is he?" Clair asked.

"He's alright. Very good doctor. The hospital and his son are his life."

"Yes, his son was with him when we met," Clair remembered.

"Smart kid, but he has a tendency to get into trouble," Lloyd told her.

"What about the boy's mother?"

"Billings' wife died about three years ago, but she was sick for a couple of years before that. Colon cancer, I think. She was only thirty-eight." Nancy shook her head. "Such a pity."

"Well, if I don't see you before then, I'll see you on Thanksgiving," Clair said, then she too left.

"Dr. Davidson, where's Dr. Cameron?" Ashley asked the good-looking doctor.

"I don't know," he answered. "It looks like this latest antibiotic is doing the trick for you, young lady."

"Does that mean I can go home tomorrow?" the teenage girl asked. "I want to be home for the holiday."

"It looks like you can be discharged tomorrow morning," he said, looking over her data on the monitor in her room. He then called up a file of his own and began to add some notes.

Ashley tried to make conversation. "Dr. Cameron said I was the oldest patient to have this flu."

"That's right" he said.

She realized that he was not about to tell her any more. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV.

Cameron sat in the waiting room of the head of Ob/Gyn, Dr. Ziegler. She was looking through an issue of Modern Baby when she sensed someone sit down next to her.

"You didn't come get me," he accused.

"I didn't think you'd want to be here," she replied.

"Maybe I can't carry the bambino, or bambina, but I want to share the rest of the experience with you, all of it."

She smiled at him. "I'd like that." After a couple of minutes of silence except for the tap-tap-tap of the cane that House was nervously bouncing on the floor she said, "I confirmed our flight reservations for Friday morning at ten-thirty. We should arrive at O'Hare around eleven Chicago time."

"Good," he said, nodding.

"Bonnie is insisting on picking us up at the airport. I told her we'd stay at a motel, but she wants us to stay at her house."

He saw the tense look on her face. "You told me once that your father was like mine, that you could never please him, never make him love you."

"I was a girl."

"No!"

She had to smile briefly, but then it was replaced by a frown as she remembered. "He wanted a son to follow in his footsteps, be the high school and college football player he was."

"Wait." The penny had dropped for House. "Your father is Butch Cameron? THE Butch Cameron?"

She smirked as she nodded. "Yeah, All-American Butch Cameron. Obviously, I could never do what he did."

"I would have thought he'd be delighted to have a beautiful and brilliant daughter."

She smiled at the compliment. "Well you don't know Butch Cameron. And then there's my mother. Oh, she gloated over my looks - prettier than any of her friend's daughters. But just as my Dad wanted a football-playing son, she thought I should be a cheerleader, one of the 'popular' kids, if not the most popular. What did I need to study so much for? I could have any guy I wanted on my looks alone, marry a rich one and never have to work." She looked at her hands and said. "I guess I was a big disappointment to both of them."

"What about Bonnie?" he asked.

"They didn't have the same expectations for her. And she was content with whatever attention they gave her."

Just then a nurse came to take Cameron to an exam room. House followed her, absorbing and analyzing everything she'd just revealed to him.


	70. Chapters 144 and 145

__I'll be wrapping up a part of the story as we get into another part. I should be able to post several more chapters over the next week before I have minor surgery on the 25____th____. Thanksgiving is coming and a lot can happen.__

__And you know how much I enjoy hearing from you.__

**Chapter 144. Help**

"Everything's fine," Dr. Ziegler told Cameron and House. "Your pregnancy is going smoothly. Since it's not your first, you should know what to expect over the next several months." He calculated that she was starting her second month and would be due in July, about a month after Gretchen's tenth birthday.

At Cameron's next appointment in four weeks they'd be able to

determine the sex of the baby, if they wanted, using the current

testing methods.

Without even discussing it, House and Cameron headed directly to

NICU after the appointment to see little Joey Samuels. They weren't

surprised to see Michael and Rhonda standing at the window, holding

hands and watching their son. But there was an older man with them.

Michael turned as he heard them approach and smiled at them. "Hi,

I'd like you to meet my Dad, Sid Samuels. Dad, these are the docs

that took care of Joey when he was born, Dr. Cameron and Dr. House."

"House? That email I got, telling me about the baby and asking me to

call you, came from a Gretchen House."

"That's our daughter," Cameron said, smirking at Mr. Samuels. "I guess

that's why she needed to know what town you were in." She shook her

head. Even she was surprised sometimes at what her child would do.

"Michael's Dad says he'll sign for us so we can take Joey home later

today." Rhonda's face lit up.

"That's good." Cameron smiled back at her. House just stood at

her side, pondering.

They hadn't heard Irene approach, didn't know she was there until

she exclaimed, "Sid!"

Her ex-husband turned to her. "Hello, Irene." His eyes looked her

over and were obviously dismayed by what he saw.

"Mom, Dad's going to help us keep our baby," Michael informed her.

Irene seemed to relax. "That's terrific." She almost smiled, but her

eyes gave away her deep sadness. "He's such a beautiful little boy,"

she added wistfully.

But then they were joined by someone none of them wanted to see.

"Irene, what are you doing here?" Tritter accused his sister.

The woman suddenly looked guilty of all of the deadly sins.

"We can ask you the same thing," House finally spoke up.

"Stay out of this, House," Tritter demanded.

"You know, I don't think I will."

Tritter glared at him. "My sister was doing well until Dr. Cameron

fed her ideas about that bastard in there." He indicated Joey.

"She certainly doesn't look like she's doing well to me!" Sid

Samuels declared.

"She's much better than when she was with you," Tritter countered.

"She's clean again, has been for a few years now."

"Maybe she is, but she's also miserable. You can see it in her face,

her eyes," Sid said.

"Stop it, both of you!" Irene suddenly shouted. "You both act like

you know what's best for me, but have either of you ever asked?"

"Were you ever in a condition to decide for yourself?" Tritter

replied.

"Irene." Cameron's voice was gentle. "What do you want? You've told

me your brother is a good man. Do you want to stay with him?"

Irene looked at her. "I feel safe with him, I don't have to worry

about anything. He keeps me from backsliding and that's good. But

I miss my boys. And I want to see my grandson grow up."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Cameron said, but she glared first at

Tritter and then at Sid, daring them to challenge her.

No one knew how to resolve this stalemate, but House had a question.

"Tritter, what if Irene could visit Joey whenever she wanted, but had

no responsibility for him?"

Tritter didn't trust him or his motives, but couldn't think of an

objection, at least not yet. He looked at his sister's pleading eyes.

This was obviously what she wanted. "I guess I can live with that,"

he said. "C'mon, Irene."

"I...I'd like to hold him once before we go," she begged.

Cameron motioned for the nurse to allow Irene to hold Joey.

"He's so tiny," the infant's grandmother said.

"Tiny but perfect" Rhonda said, smiling at her. Irene smiled back,

and handed Joey to Rhonda, then walked away with her brother.

**Chapter 145. Adventures in Parenting**

"Hi, Gretchen," Cameron greeted her daughter when she and House

arrived home. "Did Nelson's Mom drive you home?"

"Yes."

"How was orchestra practice?"

"Good. Monique from my class is a really good violin player," the

girl replied.

House grabbed a beer from the vending machine in the kitchen and

tossed out, "Michael and Rhonda were at the hospital today with

Michael's father." He waited expectantly for what she'd say.

She studied her parents' impassive expressions, not sure what to say.

"Can I ask two questions?"

Her mother indicated that she should go ahead.

She took a breath then let it out. "Is he going to help them? And

am I in trouble?"

Her Mom and Dad exchanged a look complete with raised eyebrows.

"Which one do you want?" Cameron finally asked.

"You can have the first one," House said with a sly grin. "The second

should be way more fun."

Gretchen frowned, not sure what to make of that, then looked at her

mother for her response, but very aware of her father watching her.

Cameron smiled. "Yes, Michael's father will help Michael and Rhonda.

He's already signed the paperwork to allow them to bring Joey home.

He may even move back to Princeton, because he's not happy with his

job in North Carolina and Michael's brother misses his friends."

"That's good, right?"

"Yes, it is," Cameron told her, then looked at House. It was his turn.

Gretchen wasn't sure she was ready for the answer to her other

question.

"Gretchen, how did you get Sid Samuels' email address? How did you

even know his name?" her father began.

"Michael mentioned his first name when we went to see his mother," she

replied. "There's a site where you can sometimes find people's email

addresses if you know their names and where they live."

She watched another look pass between her parents.

"Do you think it's safe to just send a message to someone you don't

know? Do you realize how dangerous that might be?"

Gretchen nodded solemnly.

"What if Mr. Samuels wasn't a...a 'nice' man? What if one of the

reasons Michael and Rhonda left home was because they were afraid of

him?"

"But Michael said he loved his father and missed him," Gretchen said.

"I was only trying to help. Michael and Rhonda seemed too embarrassed

to ask for help themselves."

House studied her. He knew she realized she'd done something that

could have endangered not only the young couple but herself as well.

Coming up with an appropriate punishment wouldn't be as much fun as

he initially thought. But what would bring the point home? "OK, no

messaging for one day," he said.

"That's my punishment?" she asked, alarmed by the prospect.

"Yup."

"Can I message Tommy and Emily to let them know?" she asked, hoping

that they'd be able to come up with a way around this prohibition.

"Nope."

"But Dad!" she whined.

He looked at her sternly, or at least as sternly as he could get.

Gretchen looked at her mother for support, but found none. A dramatic

sigh. "OK," she said resignedly.

Cameron thought through what House had said and the punishment he'd

devised. She was pleased that he was really getting the hang of

parenting.

"Gretchen, there's something else we have to tell you about," she

said, knowing a change of topic was needed.

Gretchen wasn't sure from her tone whether this was going to be bad

or good news.

"You've been asking about your grandparents"

"Yes."

"My sister invited me to visit for Thanksgiving to see my parents,"

Cameron told her.

"But we're going to Tommy's!" the girl exclaimed.

"Yes, we still are," her mother said to calm her. "But we're going

to Bonnie's on Friday."

"Bonnie? That's your sister? My aunt?" Gretchen asked.

"That's right. She and her husband, your Uncle Billy, and their

two boys live in a suburb of Chicago. The boys, Kevin and Keith,

are seven and five I think."

"Cousins? I have cousins?" Gretchen looked first at her mother and

then her father for confirmation.

"And my parents will be there, too." Cameron added.

"Oh." After a couple of minutes of trying to digest

all of this information, Gretchen again said, "Oh! I guess there are

reasons I never met any of them, aren't there?"

"My parents never approved of any of the things I did. They didn't

understand when I married my first husband, or why I became a doctor.

They had other ideas for me."

"But you're a great doctor, you help so many people." The girl had

another thought. "They didn't approve when you became pregnant with

me, did they?"

Cameron looked at House before answering. He'd been busy studying

the child's reaction to everything. Finally she said softly, "They

didn't understand why I'd want to raise a child alone."

Gretchen nodded. "Do you think they'll hate me?" she asked.

"I don't think so, but then I don't know what to expect from them,"

Cameron said. "It may not be an easy weekend, but we're going to do

this together, the three of us. We handled your Grandfather John. I

think we're up to handling your Grandfather Butch and your

Grandmother Cheryl. And on the bright side, you'll get to meet your

aunt and uncle and cousins."

Gretchen nodded in understanding, but she couldn't quite smile.


	71. Chapters 146 and 147

__Can you believe it's Thanksgiving already – at least in this story? It'll be a very busy weekend for many of my characters, not just House, Cameron and Gretchen. But, of course, lots will happen for them.__

__Enjoy reading and then leave me a few words.__

**Chapter 146. Food, Glorious Food**

The Wilson-Cuddy home smelled of roasting turkey, fresh bread and cinnamon. House began to salivate the moment they arrived. Cameron carried her bowl of pasta salad and the brownies she'd baked with Gretchen to the kitchen. "Where should I put these?" she asked Cuddy, who was basting the bird.

"I'll take those," Wilson said. He'd just finished preparing a huge

bowl of tossed salad.

"Can I help?" Cameron offered.

"No, no. Go sit with the kids and Clair," Wilson insisted, purposely

including House in with the kids.

Cameron found them in the family room playing video games. House

had located a platter of veggies and dip and appropriated it,

although he let Clair take some celery and the other kids some

carrots.

They'd brought Junior because he'd be staying while they were in

Illinois, and Tommy had insisted that Emily bring Carrie Anne.

The three bassets were playing together, but occasionally got in

the way of the four kids playing their game.

Marty and Nancy arrived just as Wilson announced that the dinner was

ready. They all gathered in the dining room and sat down to a

wonderful turkey dinner.

"What movie are you going to see?" Clair asked Marty and Lloyd.

"Rope," Marty answered.

"I don't think I've heard of it," Clair said.

"Hitchcock?" House asked. Marty'd piqued his interest.

"I know I've ever seen that one," Cameron said. "It's an early

one, isn't it?"

"But not one of the REALLY early silents that he did," Lloyd said.

"There's a retrospective at the University theatre this week."

They talked a while about Hitchcock movies they liked. Even Gretchen,

the movie-holic, had seen a couple.

"Are you settling into your house?" Nancy asked Clair to finally

change the subject.

"It'll take a while until we're completely unpacked and settled, but

we're making progress," Clair replied.

"How do you like your new school?" Cuddy asked Emily.

"It's pretty good so far. Especially my new teacher."

"Yeah, Mom, Mrs. Foreman is Em's teacher. Isn't that great?" Tommy

added.

"Yes, it is." Cuddy smiled.

"Maybe she can take your class to visit the hospital," Gretchen

suggested.

The adults who'd been involved in Tommy and Gretchen's class visit

all had thoughts on the matter, but decided not to voice them.

Everyone finished their turkey and all the delicious sides

including Clair's take on candied yams and Nancy's contribution of

tabbouleh. Cameron insisted on helping Cuddy clear the table and get

the desserts. While they were alone in the kitchen, Cuddy told

Cameron, "Davidson's been complaining to Taylor about your article on

the Brazilian flu in the electronic New England Journal of Medicine."

"Why is he complaining?"

"I guess he feels you're studying the disease together," Cuddy said.

"But I was asked to do that article while I was still at ACH, and I

submitted it before I even started here. It doesn't even include

the research and findings from the last few weeks," Cameron protested.

"You and I understand that, but I wanted to warn you to watch

yourself with him."

Nancy had entered the kitchen with the last of the empty serving

dishes just as Cuddy said that. "Are you talking about Davidson?"

she asked.

"Yes," Cuddy said, and then proceeded to tell Nancy what she'd told

Cameron.

"But he's the one who pulled something with Billings last year,

submitting an article about work they'd done together and not even

mentioning Billings' contribution," Nancy related. "Dr. Cuddy's right.

Just be careful around him."

The three women then carried the desserts into the dining room. Pies, cookies and brownies, as well as a platter of cut-up melon, pineapple, grapes and strawberries.

After the turkey everyone had declared that they didn't have room

for another thing, but all of the desserts were so tempting, they

had to have 'just a little'.

Soon Marty and Nancy had to leave to catch their movie. They said

goodbye to everyone, including the dogs who'd taken a liking to

Marty just as Nancy's cats had.

Everyone else went back to the family room, completely sated. House

looked around the room at his family and friends, and realized how

comfortable he felt with these people. He somehow didn't think the

same would be true about the people he, Cameron and Gretchen would

be with over the weekend.

As if he read House's thoughts, Wilson asked, "Are you sure you want

to take this trip to Illinois?"

"It's the right thing to do," Cameron answered him. "It's time

Gretchen met my family and they met her and Greg."

"I never told you the kicker," House said. "Bet you can't guess who

Cameron's pop is."

Wilson had no idea. "Can you give me a clue?"

"Think Northwestern, about 1970."

"House, none of us are as old as you. I was five in 1970."

"How 'bout Packers in the early seventies."

"Well, that narrows it down. Wait...Cameron...You don't mean Butch

Cameron?" Wilson was flabbergasted.

"One and the same," House admitted. "Want us to get you an autograph?"

**Chapter 147. THIS COULD BE THE START OF SOMETHING BIG**

The small theater was crowded with movie buffs, almost all of whom

hadn't even been born when "Rope" was first shown. Marty and Nancy

found two seats near the back and settled in to watch. As the tension

rose on screen, Marty reached over for Nancy's hand. Instead of

pulling away, she gave his hand a little squeeze. The film was

intriguing and at times very suspenseful. Several times, Nancy

gripped Marty's hand.

When it was over, they left the warmth of the theater for the chilly

street. They were still talking about the plot, the performances,

and especially the ending when they reached Nancy's apartment.

"Care to come in?" she asked. "I can make some coffee."

"I'd like that" Marty said, smiling at her.

The cats acknowledged their presence as they entered and then went

back to grooming themselves. Marty sat on the couch, while Nancy

started for the kitchen to make the coffee. "You really don't have

to bother," Marty called after her.

"It's no bother," she replied. She returned before long with two mugs

of coffee, then went back for a plate of brownies. "I hope you like

these."

She sat down next to him, but suddenly didn't know what to say. After

a few minutes of silence, they simultaneously said, "I had a good

time...", then broke off and laughed.

"I really enjoy spending time with you," Marty said.

"Me too" Nancy agreed but was surprised when he leaned over and

kissed her lightly. What surprised her even more was that she liked

it and went back for seconds.

The next day found House, Cameron and Gretchen following the rest of

the passengers off their plane at O'Hare and to the escalators to

baggage claim. By the time they arrived, the first of the bags were

starting to come up the chute and onto the carousel. Cameron caught

sight of Bonnie waiting just outside the area and waved to her.

Bonnie waved back just as House looked over to get his first glimpse

of Cameron's sister. A pretty woman with the same coloring as

Cameron, but slightly shorter and no where near as beautiful.

Bonnie studied her sister. Allison hadn't changed much in ten years.

The child looked a lot like her. But the man with them didn't fit

the image Bonnie had of Allison's former boss. This tall, lean man

with graying hair under his cap, wearing jeans, a leather jacket

and sneakers was a brilliant world-famous doctor? She watched his

bright blue eyes in his unshaven face as they followed the suitcases

around and saw the way he leaned on his cane as he lifted each of

theirs off. She remembered that Allie had mentioned long ago that he

had a limp, used a cane. It must be a permanent problem.

The man, woman and girl finally reached her, Allison and her daughter

pulling rolling suitcases and the man with a shoulder bag. Bonnie's

eyes met her sister's. She wasn't sure how to greet her, but Allison

didn't hesitate to put her arms around her in a hug.

"Bonnie, it really is good to see you," Allison said. "This is

Gretchen, of course."

"Hello, Aunt Bonnie," Gretchen said, smiling tentatively.

"And this is...House." Cameron hadn't been sure how to introduce him.

He just nodded at Bonnie.

"My car's in the garage. This way." Bonnie led them to a dark blue

family bus.

"You have a family bus!" Gretchen said. "So do we."

Bonnie looked at her sister. "Next you'll tell me you have a house

with a white picket fence in an upscale neighborhood. And a dog."

"Except for the picket fence." House smirked.

Bonnie smiled, then shook her head. "After fighting with Mom for all

those years about what she wanted for you, you've ended up with it

all, maybe more," she told Allison. "You just had to do it your own way."

"And what about you?" Cameron asked. "You're married to a dentist,

have a family and a house in the suburbs. No dog?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Kevin is allergic."

"Mom told me you have two boys," Gretchen said. "Kevin and Keith,

right?"

"Yes. They wanted to come to the airport with me but we decided it

might be better to have you all meet at home." She wasn't going to

say that her mother had insisted that she wanted to meet Allison's

daughter and 'that man' before the boys spent any time with them.

Bonnie drove out of the airport. As they headed towards her home,

each of her passengers speculated about what might happen when they

got there.


	72. Chapters 148 and 149

__Buckle your seatbelts, folks. We're about to meet Cameron's parents.__

**Chapter 148. I DID IT MY WAY**

They'd been riding for about fifteen minutes in heavy traffic. Bonnie

took an exit from the highway, then drove another five minutes before

pulling into the driveway of a house about the size of the Cuddy-

Wilson residence. They pulled into a large garage next to a BMW.

Two young boys with their mother's dark brown hair and green eyes

stood at the door from the garage to the house and stared at Cameron,

Gretchen and House as they got out of the family bus.

"Boys, this is your Aunt Allison and your cousin Gretchen and..."

Bonnie stopped, not sure what to call him.

"Uncle Greg," Gretchen supplied. "All the kids call him that, well,

all except me."

The boys continued to stare at the tall girl.

"I guess you're Kevin and you're seven," Gretchen said to the older

boy. "Hey, that rhymes!" Everyone chuckled. "And you're Keith,

right?"

The little boy nodded and his brother said "He's feith, almost seith,"

then laughed at his own feeble attempt at a joke, and Gretchen

laughed with him.

"Well, let's go inside so we can get our coats off," Bonnie suggested.

Billy Farmer was just inside waiting for them. The dentist was about

six feet tall, with brown hair receding from his high forehead and

gray eyes behind steel-rimmed glasses.

"Billy, it's good to see you," Cameron said.

He had a friendly smile for Bonnie's sister and her family.

"Hon, this is Allie's daughter, Gretchen, and Dr. House."

"Hi," Gretchen said, but her father had to say, "Just call me House."

As House, Cameron, Gretchen and Bonnie took off their coats, Mr. and

Mrs. Cameron joined them all. Cameron took a breath. "Mom,

Dad, this is my daughter Gretchen."

Cheryl Cameron looked intently at the tall, slim child with her

mother's lovely face and striking blue eyes. "Well, aren't you a

pretty one. You are just too precious. You should be a model." She might have been talking to a four-year-old.

Gretchen looked questioningly at her parents. She didn't know how to

respond. Her mother sighed and her father grimaced. Finally, she

turned to her grandmother and, as politely as possible, said, "I'm

sorry Grandmother, but I don't want to be a model. That would be

soooo boring."

Bonnie tried to save the situation by sending the children off to

play video games in the basement playroom until lunch was ready.

"We just got 'Bots and Bunnies," Kevin told his cousin.

Gretchen's eyes lit up. "That's my most favorite game!" She gladly followed the boys. House would have liked to go with them, but he knew Allison was in for a parental grilling and he felt he should be there with her.

Still trying to smooth things, Bonnie asked, "Mom, aren't you happy

that Allison's got everything you always wanted for her? A nice home,

a family, even a dog."

Cheryl dismissed what her younger daughter said, not for the first

time. She looked critically at Allison. "You've put on some weight,"

she said in an accusing tone.

"That's because she's pregnant. What's your excuse?" House knew this wouldn't help the situation but he'd noticed that Cheryl was quite a bit overweight,

which was particularly problematic with her heart condition.

Cameron smiled to herself at his defense of her, but said, "Mom,

you had a heart attack. I'm sure the doctors told you that if you

don't want to have another one, you should lose some weight."

"They put in a cardiac defibrillator," Cheryl replied. "I'll be just

fine."

"But you'll be better if you drop a few pounds," House stated.

But Cheryl was still processing what he'd said earlier. "You're

pregnant again?" There was a mixture of derision and disapproval

in the question.

Butch had been silent but now he decided to attack House. "Is that

all you're good for? Knocking my daughter up?"

"I prefer to think of it as getting her with child," House countered.

"Smart aleck," Butch muttered.

"The name's Greg."

"And I suppose you'll let her raise this one alone, too."

"Dad!" Cameron shouted. "Greg didn't even know about Gretchen until

four months ago."

"You never told him?" Her mother was beside herself.

"She knew I wasn't in any condition to help her raise a child," House

said loudly, then lowered his voice. "When Cameron left, I was in so

much physical pain and so addicted to pain pills that I didn't think

about anyone else. The only thing I cared about, besides my own pain,

the only thing I valued in myself was my brain, my knowledge and

abilities as a diagnostician. But I told myself it was OK as long

as I had that. Then the other two members of my team lost faith in

me along with any respect they ever had. They were already looking

to move on. And my best friend, my only friend, was starting a

relationship with the woman he later married. And then I let the pain

and the pills take away all I had left. I started making mistakes,

misdiagnosing patients."

They were all hanging on every word, most especially Allison.

"One night I overdosed on pills and booze. I don't think it was a

suicide attempt. I did it in my office where someone would find me,

not in my apartment where no one would. Once they'd pumped my stomach

and got me stable, they moved me to our rehab unit. This time, I

really got clean. They forced me to do physical therapy, to see a

psychiatrist, to redefine what I wanted to do with my life and my

abilities."

There was silence when he finished. No one knew what to say. Cheryl

and Bonnie decided it was time to make lunch and Billy and Butch

left to see if any of the football games were on yet.

"You still know how to clear a room," Cameron said, when she could

find her voice. "I can't believe you opened up to them like that!

You never told me."

"Think they bought it?" House asked with a smirk.

Cameron just stared. "Are you saying none of that happened?"

House shrugged. "Well, certainly nothing that dramatic."

She just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

**Chapter 149. DIVIDE AND CONQUER?**

House went to find Butch and Billy. They were in the family room

watching a game on the big screen 3D TV. Butch looked at him as he

limped over and took a seat. It wasn't as antagonistic a look as

House had expected, but his words weren't cordial either.

"Are you ever going to marry my daughter?"

"Didn't you notice the rock on her hand?" House countered.

"You're very rude," Butch stated.

"So I've been told." House shrugged. "I just tell the blunt truth."

"It's one thing to be rude to me, but the things you said to my

wife were uncalled for."

"Guess this means I'm not gonna get an autograph. Jimmy will be

sooo disappointed."

Billy had watched the sparring match between them. Something about

the doctor's brutal honesty appealed to him, but he'd known his

father-in-law a long time.

"You never really answered Butch's initial question," he told House.

"No, I didn't," House admitted. "Frankly, I don't know the answer.

No, that's not it either. Yes, I will, but I don't know when."

Butch nodded in understanding. "Just as long as you treat her right."

House was surprised at that, but he decided they'd talked enough

about him. "Bonnie told Allie you had some health problems last

summer."

"Just a knee replacement. Or rather a replacement for the one they

put in fifteen years ago. The pain got to be unbearable."

House nodded. "I know what that's like. The new replacements last a

lot longer and give much more mobility."

"So they told me. What's the problem with your leg?" Butch had been

dying to ask that question and thought this was the perfect time.

"I could give you a flip answer." House studied Butch and realized

there was genuine interest in his question. "The truth is I had an

infarction about sixteen years ago and they took out a part of the

muscle."

"Bummer," Butch said nodding.

After House left, Cameron thought about what he'd said. Then she

steeled herself and headed for the kitchen to help her mother and

sister.

"So, when are you due, Allie?" Bonnie asked her.

Cameron smiled at her sister. "In July."

"How old is that man?" Cheryl asked her.

"'That man' is my fiancé, Dr. Gregory House" Cameron snapped, then

reigned in her anger by sheer willpower. "He's fifty seven."

"Isn't he a little old for you?" Cheryl was relentless.

"Mom, I'm not sixteen, or even twenty-six or thirty-six anymore. I'm

forty-one years old, in case you've lost track." She said it as

calmly as she could, but she felt like she was ready to erupt.

"I know how old you are. I was there when you were born, remember.

Twenty solid hours of hard labor!"

'Here we go' Cameron thought to herself, but kept her mouth shut.

"You're kind of old to be having a baby," was Cheryl's next salvo.

Cameron pressed her lips together to keep from saying what she

thought.

Cheryl sighed melodramatically. "I don't understand you. I never did."

She shook her head. "How you cut yourself and your child

off from your family. Why, everything fell on poor Bonnie's shoulders

when I got sick."

Cameron wasn't going to let her mother play the guilt card. She

glanced at her sister, who'd been listening with a pained look on her

face.

"Mom, did you ever thank Bonnie for all she did for you and Dad? I

bet she's been a saint, a model daughter, and you've never shown her

the appreciation she deserves. The only reason you bring this up now

is to attack me." She said this all with admiration for Bonnie and

hoped she knew it. "She's the one who married a dentist, had two

sons, which must have pleased Dad immensely. She was the one who

tracked me down and convinced me to come and see you and Dad."

Cheryl didn't know how to take what Allison was saying, but she was

saved from replying by Kevin who came running into the kitchen. "Is lunch ready yet? We're all starving."

"Almost done," Bonnie said, smiling at her son. "Go tell your brother

and your cousin to wash up."


	73. Chapters 150 and 151

__I'm back! I'll post a couple of chapters of this one, since it's already written. Still working on the next chapter of each of my other stories.__

**Chapter 150. PASS THE SALT**

House pulled Cameron aside as everyone entered the dining room. "How

are you holding up?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same." She put a hand on his shoulder, then decided to answer his question. "My mother hasn't changed. I guess I didn't expect her to.

I just thought I'd be immune by now."

He nodded. "Your Dad's not too bad."

She smiled at him. "It figures that you'd think so. Oh, and just

remember, they're going to say Grace before we eat."

He nodded again in understanding.

As they sat down at the table, the children came rushing in. Kevin

said excitedly, "Gretchen is awesome at 'Bots and Bunnies!"

"I play it every time we go to Games and Grub," the girl said modestly

then turned to her father. "Dad, can we get the home version?"

House certainly had no objection. He liked the game too, how the

mechanical robots tried to chase the rabbits but the rabbits ran too

fast and then hopped, never in a straight line. "We'll have to look

for it when we get home, Kiddo."

Bonnie had placed platters of sliced turkey and ham on the table

with bread and rolls, and all sorts of things to make sandwiches.

"Hope no one's sick of turkey yet."

"It's food, we'll eat it," Cameron responded, helping herself to some

turkey, a roll and some sliced tomato.

Suddenly everyone was silent. Gretchen looked around at her family as

her grandfather said Grace, then they all began to eat.

"What happened to your face?" Cheryl asked Cameron.

"My face?"

"Those scars" her mother pointed out.

"Oh." Cameron had almost forgotten they were there. "We were in a

multi-vehicle accident when we were moving to New Jersey. My face

was a lot worse than this."

"I broke my arm," Gretchen volunteered. "For the second time," she

added proudly.

Her grandmother gave her a sour look. "How did you break it the first

time?"

"Playing soccer," Gretchen answered, then turned the conversation back

to the crash. "Mom was pretty badly hurt in the accident."

"What about you?" Butch asked House.

"I wasn't with them. I couldn't understand why they were late, but

then Gretchen called me." He smiled at his daughter.

"That must have been horrible!" Bonnie exclaimed.

House shrugged. "We got through it."

"I never broke my arm," Kevin said.

"I had an outrageous cast, and everyone signed it." Gretchen grinned.

"Gretchen, have you ever been to Chicago before?" Bonnie asked her

niece.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"I thought maybe we could go to the Shedd Aquarium tomorrow, and then

the zoo on Sunday," Bonnie said.

"That sounds like fun. I went to the Bronx Zoo last summer with Mrs.

Foreman and her kids and Jahzara and my friend Tommy."

"I thought we were going to the Bears' game on Sunday," Butch said.

"I'm not sure Gretchen and Allison..." Bonnie began.

"It's OK, Bonnie," Cameron said. "If you already had plans, I wouldn't

mind, and I know Greg and Gretchen would love it."

"You do realize we're talking about a football game, don't you?" her

father asked.

"Ye-es," Cameron said.

"We went to a Giants' game a few weeks ago," Gretchen told him.

Cameron's parents and sister stared at her as if she'd morphed into

someone else.

But now Cheryl had to speak up. "Football games are no place for

young ladies like Gretchen," she declared.

Gretchen looked at her in astonishment. Innocently, she asked, "Why

not?"

Butch was so pleased that the girl wanted to go that he had to say,

"Cheryl, if the child wants to go and her parents agree, I'm sure it

will be fine."

"Whoever heard of a cheerleader who doesn't go to football games,"

House blurted.

Gretchen stifled a giggle and Cameron rolled her eyes.

**Chapter 151. AND THEY SWAM AND THEY SWAM ALL OVER THE DAM**

Butch and Cheryl had decided to stay home on Saturday. "I've seen

enough fish swimming around to last a lifetime." Cheryl's mouth formed a thin line.

Cameron was relieved. She looked forward to spending time with her

sister, Billy and the boys without her mother's harping. They took

the family bus into downtown Chicago, parking at Soldier's Field.

Once inside the aquarium, their first stop was the underwater viewing

gallery of the Oceanarium to see the Beluga Whales.

"Wow, some of them are HUGE!" Gretchen remarked. But then she saw

the little (only 300 pounds or so) calves, sailing around with the

larger ones and laughed. Her cousins laughed right along with her

as they watched.

They headed on to the Wild Reef to see more than two dozen sharks. "It says those are Blacktip Reef Sharks and Bonnethead Sharks."

"Look at the teeth on those guys!" Kevin pointed out.

They were fascinated by the underwater gardens of iridescent coral

and the slithery eels. They wandered through a lagoon and a mangrove

forest.

By now it was time for a biobreak. House and Billy took the boys,

and Cameron, Gretchen and Bonnie headed for the ladies room. As House

and Billy waited for Kevin and Keith to wash their hands, House asked,

"Was your mother-in-law always like that?"

Billy shook his head. "I don't think she realizes how she comes across.

She's not intentionally malicious. I think she's just one of those

people who thinks their way is the only way. There's no room for

anyone else's opinion. Frankly, I try to ignore her."

"What about Butch?" House asked. There were things about Cameron that

had always been a mystery to him, and he was more than curious to

find out the reasons for some of her tendencies and behaviors.

"I don't know what Allison has told you," Billy began. "He was very

disappointed that he never had a son. I guess he felt he didn't know

what to do with daughters, so he left Cheryl to decide how to bring

them up. Bonnie says he was never interested in anything she or

Allison ever did, and it hurt them both."

House nodded, but before he could ask any more the boys came over.

"I want to see the dragons," Keith said.

They found the 'girls' and told them of Keith's request. Gretchen

didn't know what he meant until they arrived at the Lizard Exhibit.

Besides the geckos, the huge crocodile monitor, the basilisks, and

the chameleons there were the Komodo Dragons. These large lizards,

with their darting tongues, were mesmerizing.

By then everyone was getting hungry.

"We can eat here," Bonnie said. "But I know an even better place

nearby. Gretchen, do you like pizza?"

"Does she like pizza? If it were up to her, we'd have pizza for

dinner at least three times a week," House said.

"Uh, Greg? We do have pizza at least three times a week," Cameron

pointed out.

"Oh yeah," he said, as if he hadn't realized that. "But I imagine

we're going for Chicago-style pizza."

"You've got that right!" Bonnie told him, and he just nodded,

anxious to see how his daughter reacted to this different kind.

Bonnie had been right. They didn't have far to walk until they came

to a place advertising 'Deep Dish Pizza'. They had to wait a few

minutes for a table big enough for seven, but finally sat down.

"It smells good," Gretchen said, but she realized from what her father

and aunt had said, and from the pictures on the menu, that this would

be like no other pizza she'd ever had.

They placed their order and waited, but not for long. Soon several

pans of pizza were placed on their table with plates, napkins, forks

and knives.

"It doesn't really look like pizza," Gretchen said.

But to her cousins, it was the only kind they'd ever had. They didn't

know what she meant.

"When you come to visit us in New Jersey, you can have REAL pizza."

Still, it tasted wonderful, and she gobbled up her fair share along

with everyone else. Keith ate the least, since he was smaller than

his brother and cousin. But he drank all of his water.

Bonnie noticed that her younger son was looking tired, and also

thought that House had overextended himself between their tour of

the aquarium and their walk to the restaurant.

"Why don't we head on home," she proposed. "We can save the rest

of the aquarium for another visit."

Her sister smiled at her. She had a feeling she knew why Bonnie

suggested that.

They piled back into the family bus and drove home. As they rode,

Gretchen and Kevin kept up an animated conversation about what they'd

seen, but Keith was quiet, and soon fell asleep.

When they arrived at the house, Billy had to carry him inside.

Allison took one look at her nephew and said, "I think he has the

Brazilian flu."


	74. Chapters 152 and 153

__Here are two more chapters. Cameron's about to impress her family for the frist time in her life.__

__Hope everyone who's attempting to write a novel this month for National Novel Writing Month is off to a good start. I've written just over 2000 words for my new story. It's not a fanfic. Instead, it's a fantasy novel, the sequel to one I wrote for a course over the past few months.__

__Keep those comments coming. We writers all love 'em.__

**Chapter 152. FEVER**

"What's wrong?" Cheryl eyes widened in alarmed at the sight of Billy carrying

his younger son in from the garage.

"I think he has the Brazilian flu," Cameron told her.

"Nonsense. You're just saying that because it's all everyone's been

talking about," her mother said, dismissing her diagnosis.

Cameron looked at House, but all she said was, "You'd better call his

pediatrician, Bonnie. If it is the Brazilian flu, he'll need to start

antibiotics right away."

"I don't know whether Dr. Lozano's available today, since it's a

holiday weekend, but I'll call his office." Bonnie picked up the

phone and speed-dialed.

Billy had placed the boy on the couch in the family room. Keith's

eyes fluttered open.

"We need to check his temperature," Cameron told Billy.

The dentist nodded, left the room, then returned quickly with an

instant thermometer. Everyone watched anxiously as he took Keith's

temperature. "One hundred and two," Billy announced.

"Does your throat hurt, sweetie?" Cameron asked the child.

"Ah-huh, when I swallow," he mumbled.

"Dr. Lozano's away for the weekend but the service told me to call

his associate, Dr. Ratner," Bonnie said as she punched in the number

they'd given her. "He's seen the boys before." The phone was quickly

picked up at the other end. "Dr. Ratner, this is Bonnie Farmer. My

younger son Keith is running a fever, and we think it may be the

Brazilian flu."

"That's contagious but not really common in this area of the country,"

Dr. Ratner said. "What are his symptoms?"

Bonnie put her hand over the mouthpiece and said, "He wants to know

what symptoms he has."

"Put him on speakerphone," Cameron suggested. "And tell him Keith has

a temperature of 102, and his pulse rate is elevated. I noticed

earlier that he has little appetite and he says his throat hurts when

he swallows. He's also a bit lethargic."

Bonnie passed on the information to the doctor.

"Well, that could be the flu or it could be strep. In either case,

I'd like you to bring him to the office. I'll have to do a blood

test to confirm and start him on the Cameron protocol."

"Cameron protocol?" Bonnie asked.

"It's the procedure for diagnosis and treatment of the Brazilian flu

developed by a doctor at a children's hospital in New York," Ratner

said. "I think she's now at another hospital in New Jersey."

Bonnie stared at her sister, who looked a little sheepish. In fact,

Bonnie wasn't the only one staring at her. So were Billy and Butch.

Only Cheryl hadn't made the connection and still looked skeptical.

Cameron sighed. "Dr. Ratner, this is Allison Cameron. I'm Bonnie's

sister. It definitely looks like Brazilian flu to me."

"Well, you should know." He chuckled.

"We'll meet you at the office," Bonnie said. "We should be there in

about fifteen minutes."

"Aunt Allison, was Dr. Ratner really talking about you?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, surely not," Cheryl said.

But it was Gretchen who answered her cousin. "Yup!" She grinned with

pride of her Mom.

"So, Dr. Cameron, I guess I should take our resident expert with me,"

Bonnie said, smiling at Cameron.

"The protocol is constantly changing as we learn more about the

disease. I probably should go with you to make sure Keith gets the

latest version," Cameron said. "At some point, I think we should also

test all of you. It may help us discover how the flu is transmitted."

"I already had the flu, but do you think Kevin will get it?" Gretchen

asked.

"We don't know, Kiddo," her father said

"What about the rest of us?" Butch asked.

"Adults don't get it, right Mom?" Gretchen responded.

"Technically, they may have some signs of the disease in their blood,

but don't have the overt symptoms," Cameron explained.

House decided to go too, leaving Gretchen with Billy, Kevin, Butch

and Cheryl. "We'll call you when we're sure about what's happening,"

Bonnie said as Billy carried Keith back to the family bus for his

ride to the doctors' office.

Dr. Ratner was already there when they arrived.

"Dr., this is my sister, Allison Cameron," Bonnie said. "And this is

Dr. Gregory House."

Ratner had been looking forward to meeting the Immunologist, but he

wasn't prepared for this. "THE Gregory House?" he asked.

"I don't think there's another one," House replied.

Ratner recovered quickly from his surprise and lifted Keith onto an

examination table. "Keith, we're going to have to test your blood, so

I'm going to use this to take a tiny sample," he said, holding up a

sampling vial with a sterile needle attached. Before Keith realized

what was happening, they had the sample.

"I'll run this through the analyzer and look at it under the scope,"

he said. "It shouldn't take long."

Cameron nodded. "At his age, Acofloxacin should work. If not, there's

a new antibiotic that's been very effective with slightly older

children." She followed him to his lab.

"Hey, buddy, do you realize that your doctor is being assisted by THE

authority on this disease?" House asked Keith.

The little boy wasn't sure what he meant. He shook his head.

"That's like having Pedro Munoz (he named the Cub's leading hitter)

coach your softball team," House said.

Keith's eyes went wide. He got it now. His Aunt Allie was the best.

Chapter 153. YOU'RE SIMPLY THE BEST

Cameron and Ratner returned from the lab. "Elongated platelets,"

Cameron announced to House and Bonnie.

"What does that mean?" Bonnie asked.

"It's a signature of the flu," Cameron said. "But adults who've been

exposed to it also have that marker. We still need to wait for the

blood analysis."

"We can start treating him now," Ratner said. "We should have the

rest of the test results soon." He'd brought some vials of the

antibiotic, so he filled a syringe and swiftly but gently inserted

the needle into Keith's vein. "You should start feeling better soon,

Keith," he told the boy, then turned to Bonnie. "I'd like to admit him

to the hospital, at least overnight, to make sure the treatment's

working."

Bonnie looked to her sister for confirmation.

"Dr. Ratner's right. We've kept most of our Brazilian flu patients in

the hospital until they were well on their way to a full recovery."

"He's never been in the hospital before," Bonnie said. As a mother,

she was worried about her little boy.

"Maybe you could stay with him," Cameron suggested gently.

"Yes, that can be arranged," Ratner agreed.

"We'll help you get settled with him and then head home," Cameron told

her sister and House nodded in agreement. "You'd better call Billy,

let him know what's been happening."

While Bonnie phoned home, Cameron conferred with Dr. Ratner about how

they'd proceed, what to try if the Acofloxacin didn't work, and how

to monitor Keith's progress. House just watched the boy. He seemed

to be, if not better, at least no worse.

The blood test results confirmed their diagnosis. Dr. Ratner made

arrangements for Keith to be admitted to the hospital as his patient.

House and Cameron accompanied Bonnie and Keith to the hospital, which

was near the doctor's office. But once they were settled in a room, House and Cameron headed back to the Farmer residence, House driving Bonnie's family bus.

"I've just got to find out how this flu is transmitted, and why kids

have all these symptoms but the adults, who also have the blood

markers, don't," Cameron mused as they drove.

"Where's a whiteboard when you need one," House said.

She smirked at him, but found some paper in the glove compartment of

the family van and started writing things down. "We know that the

elongated platelets are a marker of the disease, but how are they

related to it? Are they a reaction to the virus, like the aggregation

and clumping of platelets you see with various viruses and bacteria?"

"Does it matter why they elongate?" House said, but then asked his

own question. "Do they remain that way after the kids are well?"

"What? Oh, I never even thought about that. I'm not sure." She thought

about the implication of this line of questions, but since she didn't

have an answer, she went on to other questions. "What's the cut-off

age? Rhonda, who wasn't quite sixteen, only had the marker but no

symptoms, but Ashley had a full-blown case of the disease and she was

already sixteen."

"Not to mention that some antibiotics are effective with the younger

kids while you need different ones for the older patients," House

added.

"Right. And then there's the question of how the immune system

changes with age and how does that relate to how this virus is fought

by the patient?" She sighed, knowing that she still didn't have any

of the answers, but maybe now she was asking the right questions.

"You know, I'd forgotten how satisfying and, yes, exhilarating it is

to analyze a problem with you."

He waited for her to go on, not sure where she was going with this.

"You make me think past the immediate to all the implications. I've

never had that with anyone else I've ever worked with." She smiled

at him. "Helping you with Gretchen last summer, and then with little

Joey, brought back something I hadn't realized I'd missed. Oh, on my

own I can push until I find an answer, but when everyone else just

looks for the quick fix to a problem, I can become complacent, lazy."

"I guess somewhere in there was a compliment," he said.

"You know you're the best," she said. "And that's not just my very

biased opinion."

He was willing to accept the assessment, but had to throw in one of

his own. "You're not too bad yourself, Brazilian flu lady."

She chuckled.

They'd arrived back at the house. Even though Bonnie had called to

tell them that Keith had the flu and would be staying overnight

at the hospital, everyone was waiting for House and Cameron to report

on the child.

"He's resting comfortably," Cameron said. "The antibiotic seems to be

working, but very slowly. Dr. Ratner seems to know what to do, but I

told him he can call me if he needs to discuss anything."

"Thank you, Allison, and you, too, House," Billy said.

House shrugged it off. "Nothing we wouldn't do for any patient."

"So, you're really an expert on this thing?" Butch asked his daughter

with the same astonished look on his face that had been there before

they left for the doctor's office.

"Yes, Dad," she said, wondering if this meant that he would finally

pay attention to her, notice who she was and what she could do.

But Cheryl still looked at her with a mixture of disapproval and lack

of understanding.


	75. Chapter 154 and 155

__Let's check in and see how Keith is doing, and whether the Brazilian Flu Lady will be called upon to help some more.__

__Thanks for all the wonderful comments. Keep them coming. __

**Chapter 154. SHE'S SO POPULAR**

The next morning, Billy called the hospital while everyone ate

breakfast. Bonnie told him that Keith was responding to the treatment

but not as quickly as they'd hoped.

"I don't understand why you didn't stay to help take care of Keith,"

Butch asked his older daughter.

"I'm not licensed to practice in Illinois," she replied. "I can only

give advice."

House decided to extend the metaphor he'd used with Keith. "Cameron

is the coach and Ratner's the quarterback," he said. "Oh, he knows

all the possible plays, but the coach has to give him the game plan,

She may not be able to play but she can tell him whether it's time

to throw the ball or run with it.

This Butch understood. "So, are we going to that game today or not?"

he asked to change the subject.

"Dad, why don't you guys go? I'm sure Greg and Gretchen would love

to go with you, Billy and Kevin," Cameron said. "Just drop me and Mom

off at the hospital to visit Keith and give Bonnie a break."

"I want to visit Keith too," Gretchen said. "But I guess I also want

to go to the game with Dad, Kevin, Uncle Billy and Grandpa."

"You can visit him after the game." Cameron smiled at her daughter.

"I think we all want to do that," Billy said.

"I know! We'll bring him a souvenir or something!" Kevin suggested.

Gretchen nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's a great idea. Mom, can I call Tommy

and Em now?"

Cameron was surprised she had to ask. She never had before. "Sure."

"Honestly, that child would be on the phone all the time if you let

her," Cheryl said.

"There's nothing wrong with her talking to her two best friends,"

Cameron responded. Then something occurred to her. "Did you stop her

from calling them yesterday while we were gone?"

Cheryl folded her arms. "Someone has to discipline the child."

"She's disciplined when it's important, not just for the sake of

showing her who's boss." Cameron didn't want to start a fight right

now, so she let it drop. But she knew she'd have to have a long talk

with her mother, and soon.

Around noon, Cheryl and Cameron were dropped off at the hospital and

everyone else went on to the game. The two women found Keith's room on the

second floor. Bonnie was sitting next to his bed pretending to read

a magazine while the little boy slept. She was happy to see her

mother and sister.

"Have you been able to sleep at all or gotten anything to eat?"

Cheryl asked.

"I slept a little last night, and they brought me some breakfast

when they brought Keith's. He still has no appetite." The concern on

her face hadn't lessened since the day before.

"We brought you a change of clothes." Cameron handed her the backpack filled with clothes and other supplies. "Why don't you go wash up and change. We'll stay with him."

Bonnie nodded and headed to the tiny bathroom. Meanwhile Cameron

checked all of the readouts of Keith's vitals.

"He still has a fever, although it's not as high. The antibiotic

should have kicked in by now," she told her mother, but then started

thinking what else they could do.

Dr. Ratner entered the room and greeted Cameron warmly. "Dr. Ratner,

this is my mother, Cheryl Cameron."

"Mrs. Cameron." The doctor nodded to her.

"I think you're going to have to up the dose of Acofloxacin," Cameron

told him.

"We already have," Ratner said. "Do you think we should try another

antibiotic?"

"Kanamycin has worked with younger children," Cameron suggested.

"Let's switch him to that and see whether it works better." Ratner

left to get some.

Bonnie returned, looking somewhat refreshed, and Cameron told her

what she and Ratner had decided to do. "Whatever will make my son

better."

"Now, I think I'm going to get you something to eat," Cameron said.

"Mom, do you want to come with me?"

"Go ahead, Mom," Bonnie encouraged her.

As they walked to the cafeteria, Cameron thought about what she'd

been wanting to say, and how she could put it so that her mother

wouldn't brush it off or get upset. Finally, she plunged in.

"Mom, I know that you always thought that the most important thing

for me to do was be pretty and popular and marry well, and honestly,

I tried. But it wasn't in me. I never told you, but I actually did try out for the cheerleading squad in high school. They said I wasn't 'peppy' enough, whatever that means. I liked learning and reading much more than people, I guess."

"So why did you pick a job where you have to take care of people that

you don't even know?" Cheryl asked.

"I guess it's because I don't want anyone to be in pain, whether it's

physical or emotional," she said honestly. "What I'm trying to say is

that I couldn't be you."

"Me?" Cheryl wasn't sure what she meant.

"Yes, you. You were the one who was popular in school and married the

high school football star. I couldn't repeat that."

Cheryl sighed, then shook her head. "I wasn't popular in school. I

wanted to be, God knows I wanted to be, but I was this almost pretty,

kinda chubby girl that nobody noticed. I just didn't want that to

happen to you."

"Oh, Mom!" Cameron looked at her mother with tears in her eyes. "Why

didn't you ever tell me that?"

"Would it have made a difference?"

Cameron smirked. "Probably not. But, please, don't push Gretchen the

way you pushed me, OK? She's really a great kid, if I do say so

myself. She's smart and funny and very resourceful. But she's a kid.

She makes mistakes, does things she knows she shouldn't. We've been

able to handle that. Just...just accept her for who she is, OK?"

"She does have a lot of friends, right?" Cheryl asked, still hoping

for the 'popular' thing.

Cameron had to laugh. "Well, she has a few very good friends and

people do usually like her."

They continued on to the cafeteria, each with a new appreciation of

the other's point of view.

Chapter 155. VISITORS

Keith responded better to the Kanamycin than he had to Acofloxacin.

In fact, two hours later he was complaining about how hungry he was.

Bonnie had gotten him a hamburger and some milk and he wolfed it

down.

He'd been a little disappointed to learn that he couldn't

go to the football game with everyone else, but mostly he was glad to

be feeling better. And he cheered up even more when his father and

brother arrived along with his grandfather, cousin and 'Uncle' Greg.

They were happy to see how well he looked.

"The doctor said he can come home tomorrow." Bonnie looked a little more relaxed.

"That's great," Billy said. "We missed having you with us today," he

told his younger son.

"But Grandpa said he'd take you to another game soon," Kevin said.

"We brought you some things," Gretchen added. She handed him a Chicago

Bears bear, and Kevin gave him a fuzzy football.

"You can put this up in your room," Butch said, adding a poster,

addressed to Keith Farmer and signed by several players.

"Wow!" the wide-eyed boy said.

"It almost pays to be sick," House told him, looking at the poster

as if he wished he had gotten one.

"Maybe we can take you to a game, too, when you visit us," Gretchen

said.

"Are we going to visit you?" Keith asked.

The adults realized that Gretchen had sneakily maneuvered them into

a position where they had to say yes.

"And then you can meet Junior," Gretchen added.

"Who's that?" Kevin asked.

"My dog. He is soooo cute."

"Gretchen, Sweetie, Kevin's allergic," her mother reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." That put a damper on her plans.

"What kind is he?" Billy asked.

"He's a Basset," Gretchen replied.

Billy and Bonnie looked at each other. They certainly didn't want to

disappoint their boys. "Maybe we can take a chance, for a little

while anyway," Bonnie finally said.

Cameron noticed that House couldn't resist checking Keith's readouts.

"We switched Keith to Kanamycin," she told him, and he nodded.

"Why didn't you give him that in the first place?" Billy wanted to

know. It wasn't an accusation, he just was becoming very curious

about this disease.

"The first antibiotic has fewer known side effects, and has worked

before for children Keith's age," Cameron replied. "We still don't

know why sometimes one works and sometimes another. I'm beginning

to think it's not age-dependent after all."

He nodded. "I read up a little about it on the Internet last night,

saw some of the reports." He smiled at his sister-in-law. "Your name

seemed to come up pretty often."

"Maybe because I worked at a children's hospital I saw more cases

than most doctors." Cameron shrugged.

"She also takes the time to share her findings with the other doctors

through the 'net," House pointed out. That brought a smile to Cam's

face.

"One thing I'd like to do, now that you're all here, is get blood

samples from everyone so we can check them out," Cameron said.

"I've been wondering why Kevin hasn't come down with the flu," Bonnie

said.

"Good question," her sister agreed. She called a nurse and asked for

someone to take samples of everyone there. It didn't take long. "Now

we just have to see which of us has the marker for the flu."

They were even testing Gretchen's blood to see whether she still did

four months after she'd had the disease.

"Why don't the rest of you go on home," Bonnie suggested. "I'll stay

with Keith again tonight."

"Can't we have supper with him?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah. Or a feast" Gretchen suggested. "Dad, remember the feast we

had when Mom was in the hospital in Elizabeth?"

"That wasn't very nutritious," Cameron warned.

"What do you mean?" House asked. "You were the one who said we had

all the major food groups covered."

"It was the middle of the night and all they could find was stuff

from the vending machines." Cameron chuckled as she remembered.

"I'm sure we can get anything we want in the cafeteria," Billy said.

"House, wanna come with me?"

"As long as you're buying," House said and limped off with the

dentist.

Cameron had to keep herself from blurting 'he's not Wilson'.

_Cameron and her mother may have come to somewhat of an understanding. The question is, how long can it last?_


	76. Chapters 156-158

__What will Cheryl do next? And why? We're about to see. Three chapters tonight!__

__I'm glad you're all enjoying this part of the story. Keep those comments coming so I know your still out there.__

**Chapter 156. I SWEAR IT WAS IN SELF-DEFENSE**

Only Billy, Bonnie and Kevin's blood tests showed elongated

platelets. The rest were normal.

"So why doesn't Kevin have the flu?" his father asked. They were back

at the house now, sitting around the family room.

"Good question," Cameron said. "It's an anomaly."

"Anomalies are good!" House rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"And why don't Cheryl and I have those...what did you call them?...

markers?" Butch asked.

House had an idea. "When you had your knee replacement, did they give

you antibiotics?"

Butch thought a minute, then nodded. "Yes, I think so."

"What about Mom? After her heart attack?" Cameron asked. She thought

she knew where House was going with this line of questions.

"Yes, when they inserted the defibrillator," Butch confirmed.

"And I already had the flu," Gretchen said. "So does that mean the

platelet things don't stay long?"

"Well, we only have your experience to go by, Sweetie, but it kinda

looks that way. So, antibiotics may protect people even from

developing the elongated platelets, and it looks like, once someone's

recovered, the platelets revert," Cameron mused, summing up what they

were finding.

"What about Kevin?" Butch still wanted to know. The boy looked up at

the mention of his name. He wasn't sure he understood what they were

talking about, but it sounded important.

"The symptoms of the disease are just the body's response. It's

trying to fight off the invading army of the virus with any

ammunition it has - white blood cells, prostaglandins, and

inflammation and the other big guns of the autoimmune system," House

explained. "I assume Kevin takes Allegra or some other drug for his

allergies, probably containing a decongestant. The decongestant

and antihistamines slide in from the side, masking the symptoms we're

seeing, things like runny noses and scratchy throats, kinda like a

smoke screen."

"So, continuing your metaphor," Cameron said. "What arsenal do adults

have that kids don't?"

They all thought about that for a moment, but no one came up with

anything useful.

"It's not hormonal," House pronounced. "If it were, the dividing line

would be puberty, not later."

"But Rhonda was pregnant and Ashley wasn't," Cameron posed.

"Nah, doesn't fit. There'd be a definite male-female split," House

countered, then went back to pondering.

"It's got to have something to do with the way the immune system

develops as a person gets older," Cameron decided. "But what?"

Cheryl watched them all. Even Butch seemed to be caught up in their

discussion. Once again she felt left out. The story of her life.

It seemed like Bonnie and her family as well as Butch had accepted

Allison back in their lives along with her daughter and even that

irritating man. Not just accepted them, but embraced them, leaving

her out of the loop. They didn't care about her. Nobody ever cared

about her. And even when she tried to be part of anything, they

dismissed her or, worse yet, resented her.

Well, she was going to find a way to show them, to make them sit up

and notice. Now, if she could just decide how she was going to get

them to pay attention to her.

**Chapter 157. MORNING CAME SOFTLY TO MY WINDOW TODAY**

The next morning Cameron came into the kitchen to find Billy ready

to head out. "I'm going to get Bonnie and Keith," he said.

"Have you had breakfast?" she asked.

"I made some coffee," he said, indicating the carafe that was more

than half full. "And I had some cereal with the kids."

"Where are they?" she wondered.

"Back in the basement. They never seem to get enough of those video

games. Where's House?"

"He's in the shower," she replied. She and House had been sleeping on

the convertible sofa in the family room, much to Cheryl's annoyance.

Nobody else had a problem with it, but she kept insisting that they

weren't married and therefore shouldn't share a bed.

"Well, we should be back in a couple of hours," Billy said, putting

on his coat.

Cameron nodded. "We'll see you then."

She was thinking about what to make for breakfast when her father

joined her. "Where's Mom?" she asked him.

"She's having one of her mornings." He shrugged and sighed. At his

daughter's raised eyebrows he explained. "Some mornings she just

wants to sleep in for a while. Nothing specific bothering her, just

no oomph, ya know? Except this morning she's been complaining that

she has chest pains."

Cameron was alarmed. "Is this the first time since her heart attack?"

Of course, women often had pains in their arms rather than their

chests during heart attacks.

"Yes," Butch said. "I gave her the pills the doctor prescribed.

Plavix."

"That's good." Cameron wasn't surprised her mother was taking that.

"Do you think you could look at her?" He hated to ask.

Cameron smiled. "I can't treat her, but I can go see her, see if

there's anything obvious."

"Would you? Thanks," Butch said.

"Billy made coffee before he left for the hospital. Why don't you

grab a cup and I'll make some breakfast when I come back," she said

as she started to leave.

She walked up stairs and found the guest room where her mother was.

"Good morning, Mom. Dad said you were a little under the weather so

I came to see whether I can get you anything. Maybe that herbal tea

you like?"

"Oh, you didn't have to bother. I'll just lie here while the rest of

you go on with whatever you're doing. Don't worry about me." Cheryl

waved her away. "You've got that man to look after."

"'That man' is named Gregory House, Dr. Gregory House, and he can

look after himself," Cameron said. She did her best not to roll her

eyes. But she noticed that her mother looked a little flushed. She

took her wrist in her right hand and checked the pulse. The pulse

rate was elevated. She looked at her mother. "What did you take

besides your Plavix?" she asked.

"Nothing," Cheryl protested, but Cameron wasn't convinced, although

that was the only thing on the nightstand.

"Well I'm going to make breakfast for Dad and House," she said. "Do

you want some tea or toast or anything?"

"No," Cheryl insisted. Cameron wondered why she sounded angry.

This time Cameron let her eyes roll and grimaced as she left. Before

she went back down to the kitchen, she stopped in the bathroom

nearest the guest room and checked the medicine cabinet. The usual

OTC cold remedies, first aid supplies and Kevin's allergy medication.

A couple of things that could have done it, but why?

She returned to the kitchen. House and Butch looked up from their

coffee waiting for her report on Cheryl. She was hesitant to voice

her suspicions in front of her father, but the important thing was

to decide what to do.

"Mom's pulse rate is up," she said. "I think she took something

besides the Plavix." She shook her head. "Sudafed is the most likely

culprit."

"Why would she do that?" Butch asked.

"She's looking for attention," House said. "She must know that anyone

with a heart condition should stay away from decongestants."

Butch sighed. "One of her biggest fears is that she'll be ignored.

It's been getting much worse lately. I've tried talking to her about

it, telling her how important she is to me, but she won't listen."

"Do you think it would help if we talked to her?" Cameron asked.

House had an idea. "We can try a 'good doc, bad doc' approach," he

suggested.

"What do you mean?" Cameron asked.

"A visit from Gimpy Leg Greg to chew her out about what she did

followed by one from Brazilian flu lady, AKA Compassionate Cameron."

"Hmmm. I'll have to think about that," she said. "But right now, I

think I'm going to try my hand at Clair's omelet recipe."

"Now you're talking my language" House said, licking his lips.

**Chapter 158. GOOD DOC, BAD DOC**

"You're an idiot!" House burst into the guest room after an arduous

climb upstairs.

"Don't talk to me like that!" an affronted Cheryl spat back.

"Were you that desperate for everyone's attention that you took

something you'd been warned against taking?" he shouted.

"What are you talking about?" she countered. "And don't take that

tone with me!"

"Are you trying to make yourself sick?" he pressed on, ignoring her

remarks. "Because you're really not very good at it."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You think I'm stupid, don't you?"

He shook his head. "You just do stupid things. Do you really think

that if you die, people will finally notice you?"

Cameron appeared in the doorway.

"How do you tolerate this horrible man?" her mother asked her.

"Now Mom, don't get yourself so excited," Cameron said in a calming

voice.

House threw his hands up dramatically and left. But he didn't go

far. He stood just outside in the hallway and listened as Cameron

went into sympathy mode. "Oh, Mom. I'm sorry he upset you. He gets

carried away sometimes, but we were all worried about you."

Out in the hallway, House smiled.

"Dad, what are you doing out here?" Gretchen asked, coming upstairs

with Kevin, who wanted to show her his baseball card collection.

"And why were you and Grandma shouting before?"

"Shhh!" he said, placing a finger across his lips.

"Are you feeling any better?" Cameron continued, running a hand

across her mother's forehead.

Cheryl pouted. "I was beginning to until that awful man showed up."

Cameron wasn't sure how much more of this she could take, but she

went on, "Well, he's gone now and you'll be just fine."

"You don't think I did this to myself, do you?" Cheryl asked.

"No, of course not," Cameron said, crossing her fingers behind her

back.

"What's wrong with Grandma?" Kevin asked in a whisper.

"She took some bad medicine," House said.

"Why would she do that?" Gretchen asked.

"Exactly," her father replied.

"Huh?" Kevin didn't understand, but Gretchen seemed to catch on.

"Can we go in?" the girl asked.

House studied her for a minute. "I think your mother has things under

control, but there may be something you two can do later," he said,

and began to explain his idea.

"You're not the kind of person who is so self-centered that they

would do anything to impress their family," Cameron told her mother.

"No, I'm not." Cheryl probably really believed that.

"And you've been just as worried about Keith as the rest of us."

"Of course I have," her mother agreed.

"He'll be home soon and he'll need all of us to help him get well."

Cameron was laying it on a little thick, but she had to do something

to get her mother to think about someone besides herself. "I'll bet

he'll want his Grandmother to read to him or tell him stories or even

play a game with him."

"Well, I suppose." Cheryl began to consider that.

"Good" Cameron said. "Now, is there anything I can get you? Are you

ready to get up now and get dressed?"

"I am kind of hungry," Cheryl said.

Cameron couldn't believe how much this was like dealing with a child.

"I made some omelets for Dad and House. I can make you one too."

"Would you?" Cheryl asked. "I'll get dressed and come downstairs in

a little while."

"OK. We'll see you soon." Cameron began to walk away, but her mother

called her back.

"Allison, was I really a bad mother?" Cheryl asked.


	77. Chapters 159 and 160

__We're coming to the end of House, Cameron and Gretchen's visit to Chicago. Hope you found it an interesting experience for them.__

__I'm enjoying your comments – they confirm that including this interlude was a good choice for me.__

**Chapter 159. LET IT BE**

Cameron stared at Cheryl. She chose her words very carefully. "You

were...you were a difficult mother. Difficult to please. I wanted

you to love me. I...I could never please you, but I wanted to. Still,

I also wanted you to accept me for the person I was, I am."

"Difficult?" Cheryl latched onto that word. "You were the one who

was difficult. You never wanted to do the things a beautiful girl

should do!"

Cameron had had enough. She sighed. This wasn't working, she wasn't

getting through. "I think we've had this conversation before. I'm

going downstairs." She walked to the door, then called back. "Do

whatever you want."

She waited until she was out of that hostile environment before she

let the tears fill her eyes. But the minute she entered the hallway,

House was there, taking her in his strong arms and she clung to him.

"Mom, it'll be OK." Gretchen put a hand on her mother's arm, concern in her blue eyes.

Cameron took one arm off House's waist and placed the hand on her

daughter's shoulder. "Sweetheart, you are my joy, you know that?"

"Uncle Greg has a plan," Kevin informed her.

"Oh, does he?" The thought was enough to make her smile, as she

realized once again that it didn't matter what her mother thought,

he was a wonderful man. And he and their daughter loved her.

"Well, let's go downstairs and you can tell me about it."

The kids practically scampered down the stairs but House and Cameron

followed more slowly. "It was worth a try," House told her. "You did

everything you could to get her to talk to you."

By the time they arrived downstairs, Billy, Bonnie and Keith had

arrived from the hospital, so House and the kids didn't have a chance

to tell Cameron their plan.

"Is your mother OK?" Butch asked Cameron.

"I think so. She may get dressed and come down to eat something,"

she said. 'Or not' she thought. But there were more important things

to think about. "Bonnie, how's Keith today?"

Bonnie was helping the boy take off his coat. "He's much better!"

She ruffled her son's hair. "Aren't you honey?"

The little boy nodded. "Thank you, Aunt Allie. Dr. Ratner said you

really helped make me better."

Cameron grinned at him. One more person who appreciated her.

"He still has to take the antibiotic," Bonnie said, then smirked. "But

of course, you already knew that."

"The full course ensures that he doesn't have a relapse," Cameron

confirmed.

"Well, I'm going up to see if I can help your mother," Butch said.

They watched him go.

"Dad, can Keith help us with our plan?" Gretchen asked.

"What plan?" Billy wanted to know.

"We're gonna just smother Grandma with attention," the girl told him

grinning.

"Yeah, we won't let her alone," Kevin added, grinning just as broadly.

Bonnie and Cameron looked at each other knowingly, then frowned.

"Guys, we tried that years ago." Bonnie felt bad about telling them.

"I think I was about fourteen and Bonnie was ten," Cameron explained.

"It backfired. She loved the attention, but then demanded more."

"Ohhh!" Gretchen said. There went their plan.

"She's not going to change." Cameron shook her head.

"But your Dad said she was getting worse," House stated.

Bonnie frowned. "He's finally beginning to notice what

she's really like. Allie's right. There's nothing we can do."

"There's gotta be a reason she's like that," House mused.

"Sorry, Greg. This is one puzzle you're not going to solve," Cameron

told him. "I wish she couldn't still get to me, but one thing this

visit has convinced me of is that I no longer need her love or

admiration." She looked into his eyes. "I've got you and Gretchen to

love me and to love, I've got friends and colleagues who appreciate

me."

"And you have us, too." Bonnie put her arms around her

sister.

"Thank you for tracking me down," Cameron told her. "I think we've

all enjoyed getting to know you, Billy and the boys." She looked

at House and Gretchen for confirmation. House nodded imperceptibly,

but Gretchen, as usual, was much more enthusiastic.

"I've had an outrageous time!" she said.

**Chapter 160. LEAVING ON A JET PLANE**

Butch returned to say that Cheryl wasn't coming down after all. No

one was too surprised, or too disappointed.

"I'll fix her a tray," Bonnie offered.

Cameron nodded. "She did say she was hungry. I guess I'll go up and

say goodbye before we leave." She wasn't looking forward to it.

"What time's your flight?" Billy asked.

"Three thirty." she replied.

"Can I go to the airport this time?" Kevin pleaded.

"Sure," his mother said, then looked at his brother. She knew Keith

would be disappointed if he couldn't go too. "Allie, come help me

fix Mom's tray."

Cameron followed Bonnie into her large kitchen, knowing that her

sister wanted to talk to her about something in private.

"Do you think it would be OK to take Keith to the airport?" Bonnie

asked.

Cameron sighed. "I'm afraid it would be a bad idea. We'll just have

to say goodbye to him here."

After Bonnie delivered the tray to her mother, whose only comment was

'It's about time', she returned to everyone else and asked, "Now,

what does everyone want for lunch?"

"Hot dogs!" Kevin called out, while Gretchen wanted more pizza. House

wasn't about to ask for a Reuben. He could wait until they got home.

Gretchen finally said, "Why don't we let Keith decide? He's been

eating horrible hospital food for a couple of days."

Her little cousin smiled at her (and so did everyone else). "Can we

have hamburgers?" he asked.

"Hamburgers it is," Bonnie said, and she and her sister returned to

the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Soon they'd all gathered around the dining room table again. "When

are you going to visit us?" Gretchen asked her aunt and uncle as

she piled a tomato, pickles and cheese on her burger.

"It'll have to be when there's no school," Bonnie said. "Do you know

when Gretchen's spring break is?" she asked Cameron.

Her sister checked the calendar on her PDA and told her. But the

boys' vacation was the week before. After much comparison of

schedules they decided on Presidents' day weekend. Cameron noticed

that her father had a wistful look, as if he wished he would be able

to visit with them. She wasn't sure what to do about that.

All too soon it was time for them to go to the airport. Cameron made

one last trip upstairs. Gretchen decided to go with her. As she

knocked on the door to the guest room, she realized that House was

with them, too. He knew that Cheryl wouldn't appreciate the effort

it took him to climb the stairs, but he didn't do it for her.

"We came to say goodbye." Cameron wasn't sure what else to

say that wouldn't cause a confrontation.

"Goodbye, Grandmother," Gretchen said. "I'm glad I finally was able

to meet you." It wasn't really a lie.

"You have a devoted husband, two extraordinary daughters, a great

son-in-law, and three amazing grandchildren. I just hope that someday

you can love them the way they try to love you," House said. He had

to get in his last shot, but surprised himself with what he said.

Cheryl didn't know what to make of it, so she reverted to her usual

attitude. "Take this tray away. I'm finished."

The three of them exchanged a look and left, with Cameron carrying

the tray. She noticed that Cheryl had eaten every last crumb.

The goodbyes downstairs were much more pleasant. Butch had unearthed

some old PR photographs from his football playing days, not certain

why Bonnie even had them. He handed an autographed copy to House,

saying, "For your friend Jimmy." House had to smile.

"How about one for Uncle Greg?" Kevin asked.

Butch, too, smiled. "And one for you, too" he said, handing House

another one.

"Thanks," House said.

"Goodbye Keith," Cameron said, putting her arms around the little boy.

"We'll see you again in a couple of months."

"Bye, Aunt Allie."

"Bye, Keith," Gretchen said. "I hope you're all better soon."

He looked up at his tall cousin. "Bye, Gretchen. I can't wait to meet

your dog." She'd shown him some pictures on her phone. He thought

that Junior was the cutest dog he'd ever seen.

"Just make sure you don't get sick when you visit us," House told him.

"I'll try not to," Keith said, taking him very seriously.

"Dad, we'll be back soon," Bonnie called out, as she, Billy and Kevin

left to take House Cameron and Gretchen to the airport.

Once they'd arrived at the check-in area, Cameron hugged her sister,

nephew and brother-in-law goodbye.

"Bonnie, thanks again for inviting us," she said.

"Call when you get home," Bonnie asked.

"I'll message you," Gretchen told her cousin. Then she hugged her aunt

and said, "Thanks, Aunt Bonnie."

House just nodded at the Farmers and said, "Bye."

As they waited at the departure gate, Cameron turned to him and said,

"Thank you for encouraging me to do this, but even more for coming

with me."

"There you go, thanking me again. How many times do I have to tell

you..." But she shut him up with a kiss.


	78. Chapters 161 and 162

__Back to Princeton and their life there. Let's find out what happened while they were gone. __

__Thanks as always for your comments. __

Chapter 161. LIFE GOES ON

"Welcome back. We missed you yesterday," Nancy told Cameron when she

walked into her office Tuesday morning. Nancy looked at her friend's

face, not sure whether to ask or not, but knowing she might not find

out if she didn't. "How'd old home week go?"

"Let's just say more positives than negatives," Cameron replied. "My

mom hasn't changed. I'm not even sure why I expected that she might

have," she went on with a frown. "But Dad was friendlier. Not Mr.

Warmth, but OK. And we really had a good time with my sister and her

family." She ended with a smile. "The craziest thing was that my

younger nephew came down with the Brazilian flu while we were there."

"No way!"

"Actually, some of what we found out got us talking some more about

the flu. House and I came up with three scenarios we want to test

before we say anything to anyone about what we're thinking."

"Not even Davidson?" Nancy asked. Without waiting for an answer, she

asked, "You didn't happen to see his article in the latest JAMA, did

you?" The Journal of the American Medical Association was one of the

few journals still publishing a hardcopy print edition. Nancy began

to rummage around on her desk and found her copy. She handed it to

Cameron, turned to the appropriate page.

As she scanned the article, the furrows in her forehead deepened and

her frown turned into a scowl. "Where'd he get these ideas? He's

misinterpreted everything we've found out. And we're finding less and

less correlation between the patient's age and the best antibiotic."

She shook her head. "He's promoting his own procedures now. They may

work to a limited extent, but they can also prolong the symptoms and

discomfort of the patients." She thought a minute, then asked, "Where

is he?"

Nancy shrugged. "Probably in his office or making rounds. But you're

not going to confront him right now are you?"

"No, I guess not," Cameron agreed. "Better to think about what I'm

going to say to him and what I'm going to do about this article

first. I guess I'll check my mail and email, then go talk to him."

She began to sort her mail. "So, not to change the subject or

anything, but how did it go with Marty on Thursday night?"

"I really like him, Allie. I don't know where this is going, but I

feel a connection to him. And we enjoy the same kinds of things,"

Nancy told her. "Listen to me, I sound like a kid talking about my

new boyfriend."

"No, you sound like a woman who's enjoying the company of a nice

man," Cameron told her. "I'm happy it's working out for you."

A while later, Nancy had gone to see a patient, but Cameron was still

going through her messages, including a few asking for her opinion on

Davidson's article, when Clair knocked on her open door and entered.

"I was hoping you'd be back today," the Hematologist said. "It wasn't

too awful was it? I mean, Gretchen told Em that she was having a

good time."

"Oh, she did enjoy the weekend, we all did. In fact it would have

been perfect if we could have ignored my mother completely. I often

wonder if she realizes that her ploys to get attention just make

people want to avoid her even more." She looked at her friend.

Something was different. "So, how was your weekend?"

It was obvious that Clair had been anxious to tell her friend. Her

face lit up as she spoke. "I ran into that really good-looking doctor

in your department at the mall on Friday. He asked me out for

Saturday evening and I took a chance and went with him. Em was at

a school friend's, so I didn't even have to worry about a sitter."

"You mean Russell Davidson?" Cameron was incredulous. She knew she

should have warned Clair about him.

"Oh, Allie, we had such a good time. He is so handsome and so funny!"

Clair went on and on, singing Davidson's praises. Cameron didn't know

what to say.

"Clair, he..." she began, then changed her mind. "I'm glad you had

a good time with him."

"He said he's working on investigating the Brazilian flu with you,"

Clair said.

"Yes. At least I think we're still working on it together, although

he did publish something independently."

"But haven't you?"

"Yes, that's true," Cameron admitted. She sighed. She had to say

something to warn her friend. "Clair, you've hardly dated since your

husband died. Just be careful, OK?"

Clair narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "Don't you like Russell?"

she asked.

"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "I think it's more of a trust

issue...I mean I don't know him well enough..." She stopped before

she said something to make her friend angry.

Clair just stared at her, then turned and walked away.

House barged into Wilson's office before he even went to his own.

"You still haven't learned to knock," Wilson stated.

"You will be so glad I didn't." House grinned at him as he placed an autographed

picture of Butch Cameron on Wilson's desk. "Don't say I never gave

you anything."

Wilson looked at it. "It says 'To my soon to be son-in-law Greg

House'".

"Ooops, wrong one." House grabbed the picture back and gave

Wilson the correct one.

"Tommy said that Gretchen thought her grandfather was 'waaay cool',

and I guess she was right. Thanks House." He studied the picture

as he thought. "She also said that her grandmother wasn't very nice."

House grew more serious. "I don't think she ever physically abused

Allison or Bonnie, but the verbal and emotional abuse never stops.

Makes me wonder how they've both made it."

"Cameron's a stronger woman than you sometimes give her credit for."

"I understand better now why she was so damaged when I first hired

her," he said. "Still, I guess it was good that the new improved

Allison Cameron had a chance to see her mother again. She's ready

to let go of the past." He didn't say it, but he was wondering

whether he would ever be able to do that himself.

Chapter 162. I FEEL PRETTY

Gretchen slid into her seat at school, and smiled at Audra. "Hi".

"Where were you yesterday?" the blond girl asked.

"We were in Chicago. My parents let Mrs. Bean know I'd be gone," Gretchen replied. "We went to see my aunt and uncle and cousins, and my grandparents were there too. We didn't get back until yesterday evening."

"I didn't know you had grandparents," Audra said. "I mean you must have

grandparents, everyone does, but I didn't know you were going to see them."

Gretchen shrugged. "I didn't either until last week. I never met them

before."

"Never?!"

Mrs. Bean entered the room and the class came to attention. But Audra had so many questions to ask. She'd have to wait until lunchtime to ask them.

House finally reached his office. He'd just sat down at his desk when

Chase and Sully entered together.

"We wanted to remind you about the wedding rehearsal on Thursday night,"

Chase said.

"It's at the church." Sully handed him a card with directions.

"And everyone's invited to dinner afterward at Lombardo's. Dr. Cameron

too."

House studied them, noticing their excitement, their eagerness to be

married, to start a life together. He nodded at them.

"Oh, one more thing," Sully said. "Can we leave Harry with you, Cameron

and Gretchen? While we're gone, I mean."

"You're going somewhere?" he asked.

"Why, yes. You knew we were going on a honeymoon." Chase wondered if

he'd forgotten or was just pulling his chain as usual.

"Oh, that somewhere." House hadn't forgotten, just ignored the fact.

"What about Wilson's hands and feet lady?"

"We still don't know what's causing the condition," Sullivan told him.

"Yen had an idea on Friday that it was caused by the glue used for her

fake nails."

"Fake nails?"

"Actually extensions," Sully corrected. "But that wouldn't explain the

feet. Then I noticed that her nails were polished. Fingernails and

toenails. But it wasn't the polish either." She sounded disappointed.

"We're still testing."

He nodded again, then began to turn away to dismiss them. But abruptly

he took off for the patient's room as something seemed to occur to him.

He slid open the door to find Nurse Katie brushing the patient's hair.

Katie Kelly had replaced Brenda as head nurse when Brenda retired,

mainly due to Brenda's recommendation. Rumors about Brenda and Katie's

relationship had been circulating for years but never been proven.

Katie had certainly learned a lot as Brenda's protege. She was just as

nasty to the doctors and just as nice to patients.

"Since when did this become a beauty salon?" House demanded to know.

But this played right into his idea.

"Really, Dr. House, the patient deserves some kindness."

"Why? What'd she do? Grease your palm?"

Katie harumphed and left.

"You like to be pampered, don't you?" House asked the patient.

"I don't know how long I have left," she replied. "My daughter said

I'd feel better if I looked better."

House nodded. "So you got your hair done, and your nails, too."

"Yes, a manicure and a pedicure."

"Tell me, do they still soak your hands and feet in soap suds?" he

asked.

"Well, of course. It softens the nails and cuticles" she said.

House turned to Sullivan who'd followed him in to make sure he didn't

do or say anything he shouldn't. "Find out what beauty parlor..."

"Salon" the patient interjected.

"...what SALON did her pampering and what soap they use. She's probably

allergic." He started to walk away. "And Sullivan, we'll be happy to

dog sit."


	79. Chapter163 and 164

__Here are another couple of chapters following up on the last two.__

__Thanks as always for your comments. __

**Chapter 163. TELL ME MORE, TELL ME MORE**

Throughout the morning Audra had been thinking of more and more questions to ask Gretchen. She still couldn't believe that her friend had grandparents she'd never met. Finally lunchtime came and she was able to ask. The questions tumbled out of her as they sat down to eat. "Why didn't you ever visit them before?" "What were they like?" "Are they your mother's parents or your father's."

Gretchen would have rather talked about her aunt and uncle and cousins, but she patiently answered the questions. "My mom hadn't talked to them since before I was born, but Aunt Bonnie called Mom and asked her to come see them. Mom never even told me about them before." She wasn't sure how to explain her grandmother so she started with her grandfather.

"My grandfather used to be this famous football player. He took us to a football game on Sunday and everyone there knew him. That was sooo cool! My dad was really excited. At least I think so."

"You really like sports, don't you?" Elizabeth asked. She'd sat down with them. Ruth was there, too. She'd latched herself onto Elizabeth and wherever the English girl went, Ruth wasn't far behind.

"Yes, especially when my dad explains things. He's really good at explaining things," Gretchen said. "And my grandfather explained some of the plays, too."

"So you like your grandfather?" Audra asked.

"Yes, I think so."

"But what about your grandmother?" Audra still wanted to know.

"She wants everyone to do things her way. And to pay attention to her all the time."

"Like my grandfather?" Audra asked.

"Your grandfather is more straightforward about it," Gretchen said. "My grandmother is kind of..." she couldn't think of the right word so she settled for "...sneaky."

But she didn't want to talk about her grandparents anymore. "My aunt and uncle are great. Aunt Bonnie is a lot like my mom, and Uncle Billy is a terrific dad."

"How old are your cousins?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Kevin's seven," Gretchen said with a smile. Elizabeth and Audra giggled, but Ruth didn't get it. Still she faked a laugh. "And Keith's five, he'll be six in February. They're coming for a visit for President's Day weekend."

"You had fun with such little kids?" Ruth asked.

"We went to the Aquarium. And we played video games. They have 'Bots and Bunnies," Gretchen told her.

"What's that?" Audra asked.

"It's one of my favorite games. I play it all the time when we go to Games and Grub."

"Games and Grub?" Audra was at a loss.

Gretchen realized there were so many things she did with her parents that her friend had never experienced. She wondered whether Audra's grandfather would object if she taught her to play video games. "It's a place with games and, well, grub. The best hamburgers. We'll have to take Keith there. Hamburgers are his favorite food. That's what he wanted when he came home from the hospital."

"Why was he in the hospital?" Audra asked.

"He had the flu."

"Did your mom and dad take care of him?" Elizabeth asked. After the time House and Cameron took care of her she thought they were the best doctors she'd ever met.

"No. They can't practice in Illinois. But Mom told Keith's doctor what to do and he got better."

Before her friends could ask any more questions, lunch was over and they had to return to their classroom.

Gretchen's parents were also having lunch after a busy morning.

"Did you see Davidson's article?" Cameron asked as they sat down in the hospital cafeteria.

"He's an idiot." House shrugged and took a bite of his Reuben. "Where did he get his ideas from?" Then he added, "That was a rhetorical question."

"But what do I do about it?" she asked. "I've already gotten several emails asking for my comments."

"Just tell them he's completely wrong."

"Yes, but then I'll have to tell them what we've been thinking. I can't do that until we prove it." She pushed a cherry tomato around on her plate until House reached out and stabbed it with his fork. He knew she didn't really like them.

He thought a few seconds while he chewed. "Just say you'll be releasing your own findings which completely refute his."

"Then I'd better figure out how to confirm that the virus isn't a new one, or that it has the same virulent factors as a fairly common one."

House just nodded in agreement. He had confidence that she could do just that.

"There's something else. Clair went out with him over the weekend."

"Your Clair? With Davidson?"

"I wanted to warn her about him but I'm afraid she won't be open to anything I say."

"Allie, she's an adult," he said. "And she's not stupid." He decided to change the subject. "Chase and Sullivan came by to remind me about the wedding rehearsal on Thursday. They want you to come, too. There's a rehearsal dinner afterward."

"One of the things you've taught me is to never turn down a free meal," she said smiling. "Greg, I'm so glad that Chase finally found such a wonderful woman."

"You really like Sullivan, don't you?" House asked. "But then, you like almost everyone."

"I think she and Chase are well suited for each other." Cameron studied House's inscrutable expression. "Someday you may even admit that you like them both and want the best for them."

He raised an eyebrow. "We're taking in a boarder."

"What?"

"They want us to dog-sit while they're on their honeymoon."

"Oh, sometimes I still have trouble interpreting House-speak," she said. Then she smiled. "Gretchen will love that, and Junior too, I think." She glanced at her watch. "I've gotta go. I'll see you later." She stood up, then leaned over to kiss him lightly before heading off to deposit her tray. House watched her go with a speculative look in his eyes.

**Chapter 164. The Wedding Rehearsal**

Cameron entered the church with Gretchen and walked over to where Chase and Sully were talking to a middle-aged woman and a young man. Chase and Sullivan smiled at her.

"Dr. Cameron, this is my mother, Corinne Sullivan, and my brother, Sean."

"Hi." Cameron smiled at them and held out her hand. "This is my daughter Gretchen."

"Hi," Gretchen echoed.

"Gretchen's my junior bridesmaid," Sullivan explained, eliciting a smile from the girl.

Cameron noticed that Sully and her mother looked a lot alike just as she and Gretchen did.

"Where's House?" Chase asked.

"He dropped us off and went to park the car. It's beginning to snow," Cameron replied but just then he limped in.

"Dr. House, you remember my mother and brother," Sullivan prompted.

House nodded. "So when do we get this show on the road?" He looked around impatiently.

Mrs. Sullivan still didn't know what to make of her daughter's boss.

They were joined by Yen and a young man. The woman had been very quiet about the man she was dating, but this was obviously the one. "Hi, sorry we're late," an out-of-breath Yen said. "This is Paul Chang. Paul, this is the bride-to-be Leslie Sullivan and her fiance Robert Chase, our boss Gregory House, his fiancée Dr. Cameron, and their daughter Gretchen, and Sully's mother and brother."

Next, Mrs. Sullivan saw a black man enter with a white woman and two children. Sullivan introduced them to her as Eric Foreman, who was Rob's best man, his wife Dana. The boy was their son Eric Jr., who was the ring boy, and the little girl, their daughter Rebecca who was the flower girl.

Finally the priest, Father Quinn, and the wedding coordinator, Vivian Cutler, arrived. They began to explain the processional sequence to the wedding party, what order they were to walk down the aisle and the pace they should set. Then they tried to go through the motions. But when they attempted to get little 'Becca to walk alone, she balked. The coordinator, who was used to working with small children, couldn't do so with this two-year-old.

Gretchen bent down to the child's level and asked, "Would you like to walk with Ricky or me?" 'Becca nodded.

"Will that be OK?" Gretchen asked Miss Cutler.

"Let's try it with the two children together" she agreed. Walking beside her brother, 'Becca finally made it down the aisle.

Cameron and Dana were sitting with Mrs. Sullivan, Sean and Paul Chang. "That's one terrific kid you have there," Dana told Cameron.

"Yours are great too," Cameron responded. But she was listening to Mrs. Sullivan murmuring to her son. "I'm glad your father wasn't here to see Leslie's wedding party. Not an Irishman among them," she lamented.

Miss Cutler was finally satisfied with everyone, and not a moment too soon for House. They all put on their coats and left for the Italian restaurant.

Chase and Sullivan had preordered a number of dishes that were served family style, including lasagna, ziti and sausage, chicken parmesan, and even some pizza for the children.

"We had Chicago pizza last weekend," Gretchen told everyone. "I liked it, but not as much as this," she said, folding a piece and taking a bite that burned the roof of her mouth. "Now that's what pizza's supposed to be like."

"I was surprised when Les told me you were visiting your family," Chase told Cameron. "You never mentioned your parents or your sister in all the time we worked together."

Sully explained to her mother, "When Rob worked for House, Cameron and Foreman were the other Fellows."

This got them talking about some of their more bizarre cases. Chase felt comfortable enough to relate the embarrassing story of the time he and Cameron burst in on a couple 'in the act', only to find out they were in the wrong house."

"But why were you there at all?" Sean asked.

It had become so natural for House's ducklings past and current to do things like that, but Chase had a valid explanation. "The patient wouldn't tell us anything and we couldn't contact his parents."

"Did you go to patients' homes often?" Paul asked.

"Only when necessary," House said, but Foreman had to add, "Which was a lot of the time."

"Sully, when are you bringing Harry over?" Gretchen asked. "I bet he and Junior will have a great time together."

"Is Harry your dog?" Ricky asked Sully.

"Yes. He's a Basset like Gretchen's dog," she replied.

"And Tommy's, right?" the little boy asked.

"Yes," Gretchen confirmed. "And my friend Emily has their sister."

"Can we get a dog?" Ricky asked his father.

"I like doggies," 'Becca said.

Gretchen remembered that from their trip to the zoo. "You can come play with Junior sometime," she suggested, then looked at her parents to see if it was OK. She really had to start asking before volunteering things like that. But her mother just smiled.

"Yes, you haven't seen the House House yet."


	80. Chapters 165-167

__Today's three chapters are all about love and marriage. Enjoy, and if you have the time, leave me a comment or two. That's how you can show me your love.__

**Chapter 165. AFFAIRS OF THE HEART**

Cameron was reading about the latest methods for isolating viruses.

If she could analyze the amino acid and protein sequence that made

up this particular virus, she might be able to match it with a known

one.

Davidson barged into her office. She turned from her computer screen

and removed her glasses.

"You haven't congratulated me on my article." He smiled smugly.

"I'm not convinced you're right," she said. She'd been avoiding him

mainly because she didn't know what to say to him. She wasn't sure

she could refrain from laughing at him and his stupid theory. She'd followed

House's suggestion about her replies to the emails she'd received.

But what should she say to Davidson?

He scowled at her. "You're just jealous that I published the results

first."

Cameron shrugged. "I just don't like to read bad science." Then she

bit her lower lip. She probably shouldn't have said that.

"Oh yeah? You have a better theory?" he asked, but didn't wait for

her to reply. "You were the one who insisted we should try and

correlate age and symptoms and treatments."

"Yes I was, and we found that they didn't correlate. Just because

we entered the data into a grid didn't mean it proved anything," she

countered. "There were no trends, no patterns."

"What are you two arguing about?" Clair asked them from the doorway.

"Your 'friend' is jealous that I beat her to publication," Davidson

said.

"We just have different theories about the flu." Cameron sighed.

Clair obviously didn't know what to think. She knew Cameron and she

knew that her friend didn't usually begrudge a colleagues success.

Yet she was very attracted to Davidson and wanted to believe he was

right.

Meanwhile, Marty Wilson had come to the door. "Hi Clair," he said to

his boss, then turned to Cameron. "Have you seen Nancy?"

"I think she's with a patient," Cameron replied.

"Oh." He sounded disappointed. "Well, when she gets back tell

her I was looking for her."

"Sure," Cameron said. Once he'd gone she turned back to Davidson.

"There's some further research I want to do. You can either work

with me or on your own. It's up to you."

He stared at her, and then without another word to either woman, he

walked away.

"You didn't have to be so rude," Clair said.

"No, rude would have been to tell him that I didn't want to work

with him on this because his article was all wrong."

"Was it?"

Cameron looked at her friend. Then she thought about what Davidson

had written. "He got some of it right, but his conclusions were

hasty. Clair, he is a good doctor, but he's very ambitious, rather

arrogant, and extremely competitive."

"I really like him, Allie," Clair said softly.

Cameron put her arms around her friend. "Maybe we just have to work

on him a little."

"If he decides to do this research with you, you'll let him?" Clair

asked.

"Sure. I really don't want to have to do it all on my own," Cameron

said. "I guess I'll look for him later and tell him my plan."

Nancy returned to the office with a stack of patient files. "I hate

this time of year. The number of patients doubles."

"Marty was looking for you," Cameron told her.

Suddenly she looked less tired, less frazzled. "He was?"

Clair giggled. "Someone's got it bad!" she said. And even Nancy had

to laugh.

**Chapter 166. GET READY 'CAUSE HERE I COME**

Saturday came quickly. Gretchen was up early. Sully had brought Harry

over the night before, so Gretchen took both dogs out for a walk.

But she couldn't wait to put on her dress for the wedding.

House, on the other hand, wanted to wait until the last minute to

get dressed. Oh, the black dress pants were OK and the white shirt,

although a little stiff compared to his usual T-shirts and

wrinkled button-downs, was bearable. It was the vest, tie and coat

that he hoped to wear for as short a time as possible.

Cameron wasn't in the wedding party, but she'd bought a pretty

long-sleeved dress in an aqua color that suited her. While she was

dressing she realized she wouldn't be able to wear it for long before

it was too tight across the stomach. She wondered briefly if she

still had any of her maternity clothes, but then remembered she'd

given them away soon after Gretchen was born. She'd never even

contemplated that she'd have another child.

While she and Gretchen waited for House to finally finish dressing,

the girl told her, "Emily said that her mother went out with Dr.

Davidson last weekend and might be going out with him again tonight."

Cameron just nodded. She wasn't surprised that Gretchen knew about

this.

"Mom, how can she like him?" Gretchen asked. "He was so mean when our

class visited the hospital."

"Well, maybe he's not mean to Clair," Cameron said. "She told me they

had a very good time last Saturday."

"Couldn't you tell her how mean he can be?" her daughter pleaded.

"Sweetie, your father said, and as usual he's right, Clair has to

find out for herself whether he's the man she thinks he is. No one

else knows what each of us wants in a partner," Cameron told her.

"You know there are people who think we're both crazy for loving your

father the way we do."

"But Dad's the most wonderful man in the whole wide world!" Gretchen

exclaimed.

Cameron had to smile. "You and I think so, but other people find him

exasperating, rude, and uncaring."

"Talking about me again?" House asked as he entered the room.

"How did you guess?" Cameron smirked, staring at him admiringly.

"I was asking Mom why Aunt Clair likes Dr. Davidson," Gretchen

explained.

"And I told her what you'd said," Cameron said.

"I hope you're not planning on doing something about it," House told

his daughter.

"Well," Gretchen began. "I guess not. I just don't want him to hurt

Aunt Clair or Emily."

House and Cameron exchanged a look. "We'll never let that happen,"

Cameron reassured her daughter. Then she turned to House.

"You look very handsome."

"Yeah, Dad, you do," Gretchen said with a grin. She couldn't remember

ever seeing her father this dressed up.

"I thought I always looked handsome." He sniffed.

"But now you look EXTRA handsome," his daughter told him.

"And you look..." House wasn't sure of what to say. She suddenly

seemed so grown-up in her bridesmaid's dress and her heels, her hair

pulled up on her head. "Lucky me. I get to escort the two most

beautiful females to this shindig."

"Oh, I'm sure Sully will outshine us," Cameron said.

"Her dress is so perfect on her," Gretchen agreed. "I hope I have

a beautiful wedding dress like that when I get married."

"And I hope that won't be a for a very long time," her father said.

**Chapter 167. HERE COME'S THE BRIDE**

When House, Cameron and Gretchen entered the church, the coordinator,

Miss Cutler, told them that Sullivan and her attendants were waiting

in a room down the hall to the right and Chase and his attendant

was to the left. So Cameron took Gretchen to Sully, while House

remained in the entryway, watching people come into the church.

Cameron and Gretchen found the room full. Sully's mother, Dana and

Jahzara Foreman, and Yen were fussing with the bride's hair and

dress, but the truth was she looked more lovely than she ever had.

Little 'Becca came running to Gretchen as she entered, and the girl smiled down at her.

"You look great!" Cameron told Sully.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "I thought I'd be nervous but I'm

just too happy for that."

Dana put a hand on her little daughter's shoulder. "Will you stay

with Dr. Sullivan, Dr. Yen and Gretchen?" she asked. "Jahzara and I

want to get seats so we can watch everyone go down the aisle."

"I'll look after her," Gretchen promised. "Right 'Becca?"

The little girl grinned back at the tall one.

House stood in the entry hall, tapping his cane impatiently. But when

Wilson and Cuddy arrived with Tommy he almost smiled at them.

"Hi, Uncle Greg," Tommy said. "You look funny." He scrunched up his

nose.

"Don't ever let anyone talk you into wearing one of these suits,"

House advised him.

The boy nodded. He was uncomfortable enough in the suit he was

wearing instead of his customary jeans and T-shirts. "Well, we'll

see you later," he called as he followed his parents through the

double doors that led to the chapel.

Cameron returned. "I'm going to sit inside with Dana

and Jahzara." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then she,

too, was gone.

House suddenly wished this were all over. Why had he ever agreed to

do this?

Chase, Foreman and Ricky came towards him with Miss Cutler. Then she

went off to collect Yen, Gretchen and 'Becca.

"You can still back out," House told Chase.

"You're only saying that because you have cold feet about walking

Leslie down the aisle." Chase grinned at him.

Miss Cutler returned and opened the doors to the chapel so the

wedding procession could begin. Before long, the groom, best man,

bridesmaids, ring boy and flower girl stood before the altar, waiting

for the bride. The doors were closed so that her first appearance

would be more dramatic.

Out in the hall, House had just gotten his first look at his duckling

in all her finery. He'd never imagined she could look this lovely.

She came to his left side, put her arm through his, and smiled up at

him. The doors opened and they began their walk/limp down the aisle.

The look House saw in Chase's eyes as he watched Sully approach

would stay with him for a long time. He knew she was looking at Chase

in much the same way.

Once they'd reached the altar, Sully let go of him and moved to stand

next to Chase. House sat in the first row, his eyes like everyone

else's, on Chase and Sullivan.

The priest blessed the couple before him, then began the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to join this man and woman in blessed

matrimony..."

The familiar words made it more real, more official. But House was

surprised at the thoughts that came unbidden to his mind. He thought

about the first time he'd met Chase, the first time he saw Sullivan.

About some of his best digs at Chase but also the times when the

young man came through, surprising him with his ingenuity. About his

belief in Sully's quickness and self-confidence from the first day.

The good doctors they had both become and the good people. He

realized he was proud of them both, not that he would ever say so.

The priest was reaching the end. "Do you Robert Charles Rowan Chase

take Leslie Siobhan Sullivan as your lawfully wedded wife, to have

and to hold from this day forth..."

Now House's thoughts turned to what it meant to be married. He and

Cameron had never really talked about when, where, or even how they

would tie the knot. How would it change his life with her and their

daughter? He knew it wasn't necessary to make it official, but he

suddenly wanted to.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," the priest intoned. "You may kiss

your bride."

Chase pushed Sully's veil out of the way and kissed her soundly to

the applause of everyone present. As the couple went back up the

aisle, House glanced at Cameron and saw the happy tears in her eyes.

He guessed it was time they made their own wedding plans.


	81. Chapters 168-170

__Three more chapters before we leave for our daughter's place tomorrow for Thanksgiving week. I still intend to post about every other day, but that will depend on what we do. __

__For those who'll be celebrating this week, too, have a wonderful time with family and friends, and lots of good things to eat.__

**Chapter 168. PARTY TIME**

Gretchen and Tommy came over to a table where their parents were

sitting. They each had a plate piled high with food from the wedding

reception buffet.

"Sullivan looked gorgeous." Cuddy sipped her champagne.

House and Wilson also had some bubbly in front of them but Cameron,

Gretchen and Tommy were sticking to punch.

"I thought everyone looked beautiful!" Tommy said. He'd been very

impressed with Gretchen in her lavender gown and heels that made her

even taller.

House gave him a look. Thinking that his Uncle Greg didn't want to

be called beautiful, Tommy amended his statement. "What I meant was

the women look beautiful and Gretchen and 'Becca look really pretty.

You and Dr. Chase and Dr. Foreman just look funny."

House didn't tell him that he was more concerned with the look he

was giving Gretchen.

"Mom, do I get to keep my flowers?" Gretchen asked. She and Yen had

carried bouquets of violets that went well with their dresses.

"They're so pretty and they smell good too." She took a whiff

of hers.

"You can keep them, Sweetheart, but you know they won't last very

long," her mother warned.

"Women used to press flowers in a book or dry them to preserve them,"

Cuddy said. "I did that with the first corsage I ever got. Can't even

remember the name of my date or what he looked like, but I do

remember they were daisies."

The bride and groom came over to say hello and to thank House and

Gretchen for their parts in the wedding. Sully's mother was with

them.

"Mom, did you meet Dr. Cuddy, the hospital administrator and her

husband, Dr. Wilson?" Sully asked. Mrs. Sullivan nodded hello, then

turned to House. "Doctor, I'd doubted the desirability of having

you walk Leslie down the aisle but you were an admirable substitute

for her blessed father. Thank you."

For once, House didn't know what to say. His usual snark was

certainly inappropriate but he would never tell anyone how...how

good he felt about what he'd done. He settled for, "Glad I could be

of service."

"Dr. Sullivan, we were just talking about how beautiful you look,"

Wilson said.

"And how funny Chase looks," House added.

"No funnier than you," the groom responded. "Well, hope you enjoy the

reception. We have to greet everyone else."

The groom, the bride and her mother walked over to where her brother,

Sean, was talking to the Foremans and Yen and her boyfriend, Paul

Chang. Foreman grinned at his friend. "So you've finally joined

the ranks of us married men."

"Happily married men," Chase said, grinning back.

"Took you long enough," Foreman went on.

"It took as long as it had to until I found the perfect woman," Chase

insisted, putting a possessive arm around Sully.

"Dr. Foreman was just telling me about the opening at the hospital,"

Sean said.

"What opening?" Chase asked.

"Cuddy's assistant."

Chase looked at the Neurologist, then back at his new brother-in-law.

"Did he also tell you that the longest anyone's lasted in the

position was two months?"

"I thought you wanted to get your MBA." Sully stared at her brother.

"I'd like to work for a while first, maybe start school again next

fall."

Chase looked at Foreman again, wondering if this was such a good

idea. "You'd leave sunny California to work here in New Jersey?"

he asked Sean.

"Why not?" Sean replied. "At least I can give it a shot."

Chase shrugged. "Your funeral. C'mon, I'll take you over to introduce

you."

"I'll do it," Foreman volunteered. "You still have to talk to all of

your guests, and it was my idea."

"Knock yourself out," Chase replied. "C'mon Les, let's go thank all

the nice people."

Foreman took Sean over to the table where Cuddy, Wilson, House and

Cameron still sat. "Dr. Cuddy, I don't believe you've met Sully's

brother, Sean."

"Hi." Cuddy smiled at the young man, but she was puzzled why Foreman

had brought him over.

"Sean is interested in the position as your assistant," Foreman

explained.

Four pairs of eyes looked at Foreman like he'd finally lost his mind.

**Chapter 169. DON'T SPEAK - DON'T TELL ME CAUSE IT HURTS**

Cameron had never had a chance to talk to Davidson again to find out

whether he would work with her on her Brazilian flu research. On

Monday morning she decided to stop at his office to ask him to make

a decision. She was ready to start the lab work and didn't want to

wait any longer.

When she knocked on his closed office door she heard some scuffling

inside, then Davidson cleared his throat. "Come in".

She opened the door to find him sitting behind his desk. A young

woman that she recognized as a cardiac nurse named Betty or Belinda

or something stood in front of him, running her fingers through her

shoulder-length red hair.

Cameron frowned, but didn't comment. "I came by to ask whether you've

decided to work with me or not."

Davidson stared at her. "Sure you did," he said in a sarcastic tone.

"You're just sneaking around, spying on me and what I'm doing," he

accused.

"I take it your answer is 'no'. Well, I'll leave you to...whatever you

were doing." She backed out, closed the door, and headed towards the

main labs, deep in thought.

"Hi, Marty," she greeted the inventory manager. "I need to do some

sequencing studies. Do we have any microfluidic sequencing devices?"

she asked. "For viruses," she specified.

"Hi, Cameron. I'll go take a look. I know I saw some 'lab-on-a-chip'

devices for genetic sequencing, mostly for paternity tests, but I'm

not sure we have anything for viruses." Marty went off to one of the

back rooms.

Clair noticed her friend waiting and came over from her office. The

short blond woman had a look of happiness Cameron had rarely seen on her

face in recent years. How was she going to tell her what she just

saw and heard?

"Hi, Allie. How was Dr. Chase's wedding?" Clair asked.

"Beautiful," Cameron replied. "You should have seen Sully. She looked

radiant. I'm so happy for them both."

"So what brings you down here?"

"I need some testing devices for my research," Cameron replied.

"Isn't Russell working with you, then?" Clair asked.

"No, he didn't seem interested in collaborating." Cameron debated

with herself about what to say, but it was better for Clair to be

angry now than hurt later. "It seems he's more interested in a

red-head from Cardiology."

"What are you saying?" Clair was becoming angry, as Cameron knew she

would, but was it with Davidson or with the messenger?

"Clair, when I first returned to PPTH, Nancy warned me that Russell

Davidson is a ladies man, what they used to call a playa," Cameron said, as

gently as she could.

"She just said that because he would never give her the time of day,"

Clair retorted. "He thinks she's frumpy, and he's right."

"And you're just saying that because you don't want to believe

anything bad about him," Cameron responded, getting a little annoyed

herself.

Clair looked at her friend, but before she could say anything

further, Marty reappeared.

"Got your sequencing devices." He handed two to Cameron. "Just

fill out the request form, indicating you've received them." He

turned the screen on the counter so she could enter the information.

"Thanks Marty," Cameron told him. Then she turned back to Clair.

"Well, I've gotta go and do these tests. Just think about everything

I said."

As Clair watched her friend walk away she was deep in thought.

**Chapter 170. THE BEST LAID PLANS**

Cameron and Gretchen were 'cleaning up' from dinner that night when

the girl suddenly asked her mother, "Do you remember when I promised

Emily that we could have a sleepover with my new school friends and

hers?"

"Yes," Cameron said. "You wanted to cheer her up because she was

unhappy about going to another school and that you'd already made

new friends."

"Well, can we do it next weekend?" Gretchen asked.

"How many girls would there be?" the ever practical Cameron asked.

"Well, I thought I'd ask Audra and Elizabeth. I suppose I'll have to

ask Ruth, too. If she hears that Elizabeth will be here and not her,

she'll be very sad. And Em could invite Ningfang and Calene. Those

are the two girls she's always talking about."

"Do you think those girls' parents would let them come here? They

don't know us. We could be ax murderers or something."

"You could talk to their parents, couldn't you? Elizabeth's Mom knows

you, and so do Audra's grandparents. I just hope her grandfather lets

her come."

Cameron hesitated. "Sweetie, it sounds like a fun idea, but we'd better ask your Dad how he feels about having a gaggle of giggling girls here."

Gretchen knew her mother was right. Should she be hopeful that her father would agree to the plan? How could she make sure he'd say 'yes'?

Before she could come up with an approach, he came back to the

kitchen to find them. "Does it take both of you to wrap two pieces

of leftover pizza?" he asked.

They smiled. "We were just talking about an idea Gretchen had. She

wants to have a sleepover next weekend so that she and Emily can get

to know each other's new friends," Cameron told him.

"What, here?" It was apparent he really wasn't comfortable with the

idea. They both nodded and he saw the pleading look in Gretchen's

eyes. "Don't expect me to baby-sit a gaggle of giggling girls."

Gretchen laughed. "That's what Mom called them. But is that a 'yes'?"

she asked hopefully.

"Maybe Clair would come over and help me," Cameron suggested. "And

you can ignore the whole lot of us females."

"She'd probably take the opportunity to go out again with the playboy

of PPTH."

Cameron shook her head. "I don't know if Clair's going to go out with

Davidson again after what I told her today. At least, I hope not."

"I thought you were going to stay out of it," House said.

"I couldn't after I found him with a cardiac nurse in his office," Cameron explained.

House was obviously amused by that. "Were they doing the dirty when

you walked in?"

"Greg! No, but they'd been doing something," Cameron told him. "I

told you before, I don't want to see Clair get hurt."

Gretchen had been watching and listening. She thought she understood

what they were talking about. "Well, I'm going to go message Em."

"Please don't say anything about Dr. Davidson," her mother pleaded.

"OK, I won't. I'll just tell her about the sleepover."

Cameron shook her head watching her go. "Where'd she get the social

gene?" she mused. "She is so much more comfortable and relaxed

with people than you or I ever were."

"I'm comfortable with people," House protested. "I think they're all

idiots so I basically ignore them but I..." he stopped, seeing

Cameron's skeptical look.

"I saw you at Chase and Sully's wedding, sitting and watching every-

one," she said.

"I was thinking," he responded.

"About?" she challenged.

He looked into her blue-green eyes. "About when and where you'll finally

marry me."

"Oh, Greg!" her voice softened. She took a breath and let it out to calm

herself. "I guess a church wedding would be hypocritical."

House nodded. "On many levels."

"So, Justice of the Peace?" she threw out.

"Do they still have those?"

"I have no idea. City Hall?"

He shook his head. "Too impersonal."

"Too bad Cuddy couldn't marry us," she said.

"Huh?"

"Well, if PPTH was a ship, the captain, that is Cuddy, could do the

honors."

"Hmmmm." He suddenly walked over to the kitchen entertainment center

and turned on the computer.

"What are you looking for?" Cameron walked over to stand next

to him so she could view the screen over his shoulder.

"Wedding cruises," he said.

As soon as he said it, she became excited. What a perfect idea! "What

about Gretchen?"

He knew what she meant. "We'll take her along. Can't get married

without her."

"And you'd get married without Wilson there?" she asked.

"Oh, no. I had to sit through three of his four weddings, he'll be

there for mine."

"Cuddy and Tommy, too, I presume? What about our families? Our

parents, my sister and her family?" she asked.

"You want your mom there?"

"Well, probably not," she replied, although she felt mean saying it.

"And I definitely don't want my dad," House said adamantly.

"Maybe if we invite them they won't come," Cameron said. "My mom hates

boats. But I'd like Bonnie and Billy and the boys to be there."

"What about Clair and Emily while you're at it? And your new friend

Nancy, which means Marty, too."

"Guess we have a few decisions to make here," she said as they began

to view all of the options for Wedding and Honeymoon cruises.


	82. Chapter171-172

__Before I head off to bed, here are two more chapters, including developments in several areas. __

__Thanks for all of the wonderful comments. Looks like we've got a few new readers of this story. Welcome!__

**Chapter 171. START SPREADING THE NEWS**

Cameron had finally been able to isolate the Brazilian flu virus from

a sample from one of their flu patients. Now she was preparing to

pass it through one of the devices she'd gotten from Marty. The

device would compare the amino acid sequence of the virus protein

component to that of thousands of known viruses. In a few minutes

she'd know whether it matched any and, if so, which one.

She still needed to analyze viruses isolated from other patients but

her approach held promise.

Clair had spent a long sleepless night going over and over everything

Allison had said and all she knew, or thought she knew about Russell

Davidson. Now she really had to know if Allison was right. She had

to talk to Russell, so she headed for his office.

But as she passed the Infectious Disease Department lab, she saw

Allison hard at work. Should she talk to her before she saw Russell?

They'd been good friends for so long and she wouldn't want that

friendship damaged because of any man. Besides, they had their

daughters to consider. On impulse, she entered the lab.

"Hi, Clair." As usual, Allison's smile was warm and welcoming.

"I wanted to talk to you about the girls' sleepover. Is there any

way I can help?" Clair asked.

"I certainly could use another adult there. House probably won't offer!" Cameron said. "That is, unless you're busy Saturday night."

"I guess I'm free," Clair said. "Unless Russell asks me out again."

"Are you still going to go out with him?" Cameron asked. "After

everything I told you?"

"Allison, if I told you to stay away from House because he's rude and

crude, would you have?" Clair asked.

"It's not the same thing, Clair," Cameron protested. "I've known him

a long time, even longer than I've known you, but you've just met

Davidson." She grinned suddenly. "Besides, being rude and crude is

part of his charm. Look, in the end you'll have to make up your own

mind. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know." Clair smiled and nodded. "And I don't want my relationship with Russell, whatever it is or becomes, to get in the way of our friendship."

"So, what are you doing at the end of December?" Cameron asked, very

nonchalantly.

"Huh?"

"How'd you like to come to a wedding?"

"Do you think your grandparents would let you spend the night at

my house on Saturday night?" Gretchen asked Audra as they waited for

class to start.

"My grandmother would probably let me, but I don't know about my

grandfather," Audra replied.

"I'm having a sleepover so my friend Em can meet you and my other

friends and I can meet hers."

Audra's eyes lit up. That sounded like fun. But the light faded as

she thought about what her grandfather thought of anything that was

fun.

"Should I have my mother call your grandmother?" Gretchen asked.

Audra nodded. "Who else are you inviting?" she asked.

"Elizabeth, of course, and Ruth I guess," Gretchen replied.

Audra groaned. "Do you have to invite Ruth?"

"I don't want her to feel left out," Gretchen explained. "You'll still

come if she's there, won't you?"

Audra didn't think long. If her grandparents let her, nothing would

keep her from being there. "Sure I will."

"Good! And guess what? My parents are finally getting married!" She

proceeded to tell Audra all about the plans so far, not realizing

how the things she told her almost always amazed Audra.

House knocked on Wilson's door, waited thirty seconds, and then

walked in.

"Did I say come in?" Wilson looked up from a patient file.

"But I knew you were thinking it," House countered.

Wilson sighed. He knew he'd never get any work done until House had

his say and left. "So, what's on that labyrinthine mind of yours?"

"What do you know about kid's sleepovers? Specifically pre-pubescent

girls' sleepovers?"

"Are you sure you weren't looking for my wife?" Wilson asked. "She's

the one who used to be a preteen girl." When House didn't answer,

he said. "Wait, you didn't really come in her to ask about that."

"What are you doing between Christmas and New Years?"

"The same thing I should be doing right now," Wilson replied.

"Treating my patients."

"Wouldn't you rather be sailing the deep blue seas in a tropical

clime?" was House next question.

"Is this a trick question?"

"Allie and I are planning a wedding cruise. Just thought you, Cuddles

and the kid might like to come along."

**Chapter 172. MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER**

After Clair left, Cameron checked the sequencing device readout. She

had a match! It was a virus that had been active fourteen years

before, causing a minor flu epidemic especially in the US. As she

checked the history of that virus online, she learned that most of

the unaffected population had been vaccinated against it. There

had been some controversy over whether children two years old or

younger should get the vaccine, so some infants had been inoculated

and some had not.

OK, so she'd matched one isolated virus. But to conclusively prove

their theory and develop further treatment and prevention protocols,

she had to test a much larger number of samples. And she couldn't

do it alone.

There were a few other doctors that she'd talked to online who were

looking into this, including one at the CDC and others at children's

hospitals across the country. She could ask them to collaborate. But

there was really only one person she wanted to do this with, one

doctor she trusted above all others. She documented her results and

then set off to find House.

Davidson was keying in some data on his computer, but stopped when he

saw Clair in his open doorway.

"Clair! Come in," he said.

"I don't want to take you away from your work," she apologized.

"No, I welcome the interruption. Please sit down."

Now that she was there, Clair wasn't sure what to say. Before she

could start, however, Davidson had a question for her.

"Are you free Saturday night?"

"Oh. I just promised Allison I'd help her with Emily and Gretchen's

slumber party," Clair had to respond.

"That's right. Your daughter and Dr. Cameron's are friends, aren't

they?" He had a speculative look on his handsome face.

"Oh, yes. They've been best friends all their lives." Clair smiled as she always did when she talked about Emily.

"Where did you say you saw Dr. Cameron?" Davidson asked, trying to

sound casual.

"I didn't." Clair wondered what that had to do with any-

thing. "She's in the lab, doing some tests."

"Tests?" She had his interest now, but he was still trying to hide

his curiosity.

Clair shrugged. "She got some sequencing devices from our inventory

yesterday so I imagine that's what she's doing."

"What do sequences have to do with the flu?" he wondered out loud.

"What do you care? I thought you told her you didn't want to work

on this with her, that you had your own line of research to do."

Clair was becoming annoyed. "Maybe she thinks there's a genetic

component to who gets the flu."

"Maybe," Davidson mused. He realized that Clair didn't know any more

than she'd said, so he let it go for the time being. "If you're busy

on Saturday night, how about Friday?" he asked smiling his most

appealing smile at her.

Clair welcomed his shift of attention. "I'd really like you to meet

Emily. Why don't we take her out for dinner on Friday?" Clair

suggested.

"Alright," Davidson said, but didn't sound enthusiastic about having the girl

along on a date with her mother.

"We can take her to Games and Grub."

"Isn't that a burger place?" Davidson scrunched up his nose.

"It's her favorite restaurant. All the kids love it. The food's

actually good and it's lots of fun."

Davidson sighed. "OK, it's a date."

"Greg, I got a match on the virus protein," Cameron told House as

she entered his office. "I'm going to have to isolate and match

more samples to prove the theory, and I'd like your help."

House could see her excitement, but he wasn't sure she really needed

him to do this. It was her chance to shine. "I'll review your results

and make sure you didn't miss anything," he offered.

Cameron knew she'd have to settle for that. She thought that she'd

only get him to do more if it interested him, and obviously it

didn't.

She left to do rounds, then returned to her office to email Chris

Monroe at the CDC to ask him to get additional information on the

matched virus, and Giullietta Sylvio at St. Jude's Children's

hospital to ask her to do additional virus isolation and sequence

matching.


	83. Chapters 173-174

__Before we get to the sleepover, there are a few other scenes you should see. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. The sleepover chapters will be up on Friday.__

__Thanks for reading and for all the great reviews.__

**Chapter 173. COMPUTER VIRUS**

While she waited for Monroe and Sylvio to respond, Cameron decided

to call Ingrid Swenson. As she expected, Audra's grandmother was

home.

"Mrs. Swenson, this is Allison Cameron."

"Oh, hello," Mrs. Swenson said.

"Gretchen is having a sleepover on Saturday night and she'd be very

happy if Audra could come." Cameron kept it simple and straight-forward.

"Oh." Mrs. Swenson sighed. "I'm not sure my husband would approve."

"I do hope he'll let her come. It'll just be a few girls. You

remember Elizabeth Carmichael and Ruth Schultz from their class? And

Gretchen's friend Emily and two girls from her class will also be

coming."

"So many girls!"

"Of course, I'll be there and Emily's mother, who's also a doctor

at the hospital." Cameron didn't know what else to say to reassure

her.

"Well, at least they'll be supervised."

"Uh, yes."

"I can't promise that my husband will consent..."

"Would he be more comfortable if you were there, too, at least for

part of the evening?" Cameron thought Audra would prefer that her

grandmother not be there, but if it would allow the girl to attend,

she'd accept it.

"Oh! Well that might help." It sounded like Mrs. Swenson hadn't

expected that and was pleased to be asked.

"Well, let me know once you've discussed it with your husband,"

Cameron said, and then gave her a phone number.

Cameron had just hung up the phone when Nancy came in and sat down

at her own desk. "You've been busy this morning."

"I'm making progress with the virus," Cameron told her. "I need to

follow through."

"So your theory is panning out?"

"Oh, yeah. But besides that I have two events to plan. Gretchen's

having a slumber party this weekend."

"House is OK with that?"

"I think he's kind of curious." Cameron smirked.

"You said two things," Nancy prompted.

"We're getting married after Christmas." Cameron really didn't need

prompting. She was excited to tell her friend, just didn't want to

make too big a deal out of it.

"Oh, Allison! That's fantastic!"

"Gretchen said 'outrageous', but, yeah, it is. We're taking a wedding

cruise. Interested in coming along?"

"Me?"

"Yes, why not? Wilson, Cuddy, Tommy, Clair and Em are joining us.

And maybe my sister and her family. I really have to call her to see

if they can come."

"But not your parents? Or House's?" Nancy was curious.

"Well, we do want to have a good time!" Cameron said. "If we invite

Marty, would that convince you to come?" she teased.

House made his way to a part of the hospital he rarely visited. But

there was a guy he needed to see.

Josh Beaumont was busy at his computer. As the hospital Network

Administrator he had a huge system of PCs and workstations, routers

and servers to oversee. The doctors, nurses and other staff who used

the computers expected 100% uptime and rapid response when problems

occurred.

"Dr. House," the young man said when he noticed the Diagnostician

watching him. "Having a problem with your PC?"

"As long as I can get to my favorite sites..." House said by way of

reply. "You're a superuser. Can't you tell when someone is having

a problem?"

"We don't monitor each and every terminal. If someone doesn't report

a problem, we can't fix it," Beau, as he was usually called, told him.

"But you can monitor them, right? I think there's a problem with the

computer of one of the doctors in Infectious Diseases," he said.

Beau lifted an eyebrow. He was curious. What was House getting at?

"You should monitor Dr. Russell Davidson's PC. Maybe his laptop, too.

Someone may be using them to log into Dr. Cameron's PC."

"You want me to check whether Dr. Davidson is trying to get into

Dr. Cameron's files?"

"I think that's what I said," House told him.

Beau wasn't about to argue the point. And if Davidson was doing what

House implied, it was a breach of security and ethics. "Mind telling

me what he's after? Sorry, what he's allegedly after?"

"I wouldn't put it past him to try to steal her test results."

That was enough for Beau. "I'll get right on it. And Dr. House, next

time you want me to spy on what another doctor is doing? Just come

out and ask."

**Chapter 174. FUN AND GAMES**

Emily watched Dr. Davidson's face as he walked into Games and Grub

with her and her mother on Friday night. Obviously it wasn't a place

he would have chosen for dinner himself. He seemed uncomfortable with

the noise and the large numbers of kids. But she decided that if her

mother liked him, she'd give him a chance.

They were soon seated and he began to read the menu. Her mother

pointed out some of her favorites to him, but Emily knew what she

wanted. The waitress took their orders and they sat back to wait for

their food.

"What grade are you in?" Dr. Davidson asked Emily, making some effort

to talk to her.

"Fourth grade," she replied. What could she tell him that he might

find interesting? "Dr. Foreman's wife is my teacher," she said.

She watched him think for a minute and then make the connection.

"Your mother tells me that you and Dr. Cameron's daughter are good

friends."

Emily grinned. "Gretchen is my bestest friend. And Tommy is my other

bestest friend," she said. At his questioning look she elaborated

"Tommy Wilson."

"Right," Dr. Davidson said.

Their food arrived and they began to eat. Dr. Davidson looked like

he was actually enjoying his open roast beef sandwich, but he stopped

eating after a while to ask, "Has Dr. Cameron finished her research?"

"I don't know," Clair said honestly. "I'm sure she wants to finish

before the wedding."

That stopped Davidson cold. Emily could almost see the gears turning

in his head as he wondered about that.

Emily soon finished her burger and fries. "Can I go to the game

room?" she asked.

It looked like her mother was debating whether to let her go alone,

but Dr. Davidson seemed to have no qualms. "Here's a few quarters,

kid. Go have fun," he said.

"No, thanks," Emily said. "I have my own money."

She headed straight for the 'Bots and Bunnies game. She watched as

a brother and sister finished their turns. Then it was hers. She

switched to 'single player', put in her money, and started to play.

She was doing very well when two older boys, about eleven or twelve,

came over.

"This is our game," the taller blond boy said, trying to push her

away.

"Yeah," his dark-haired pal said.

"I was here first," she said, standing her ground, although she knew

she wasn't strong enough to hold them off for long.

"So what?" the second boy said.

Just then another boy came over. He was older and taller than the two

bullies. "You heard her," he told them. "She was here first. Wait your

turn."

The two boys walked away in disgust.

"Thanks," Emily said, looking up at the tall boy.

"Those two are always bullying the younger kids," he said. "I'm Scott.

Scott Billings. I've seen you here before with the tall dark-haired

girl, Dr. Cameron's daughter."

"She's my best friend Gretchen," she explained. "I'm Emily Palmer."

"Your mom works at the hospital too, doesn't she? My dad works in the

same department as Dr. Cameron."

"Oh, and I guess he works with Dr. Davidson, too," Emily guessed.

"That jerk!" Scott exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Emily was surprised by the vehemence in Scott's

reply.

He told her about Davidson's article the previous year, the one that

didn't mention his father's part in the research.

"Oh!" Emily was alarmed. "I wonder if Mom knows about that. She's

kinda dating him. Why didn't Aunt Allison tell her?"

"Maybe she didn't know. It happened before she came to the hospital,"

Scott said.

Emily's game had ended and no one else was waiting to play. "Wanna

play a game with me?" she asked tentatively. He probably wouldn't

want to play with a 'little' kid.

"OK," he agreed. He'd noticed how good she was, even for a little kid.

They were still playing and laughing when Arthur Billings came over

to tell Scott it was time to go home.

"Dad, this is Emily. She's Dr. Palmer's daughter," Scott told his

father.

"Hi, Dr. Billings," Emily said, smiling at him. "Thanks for playing

with me, Scott."

They were joined by Clair and Davidson.

"Hi, Dr. Billings," Clair said, not realizing she was echoing her

daughter.

"Billings," Davidson said, nodding at the man.

"Mom, Scott chased away two bullies who were bothering me," Emily

said.

"Thanks, Scott," Clair told the teen.

"Well, we've got to go," Billings said, and he and his son walked

away.

As Emily left the restaurant with her mother and Davidson, she looked

at the man in a new light.


	84. Chapters 175-177

__As promised, here are the first three chapters of the sleepover. If you celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, hope you've recovered from the big meal.__

__Thanks for reading and for all the great reviews.__

**Chapter. 175. GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS - PART 1**

Clair and Emily were the first to arrive at the House house on

Saturday night. They'd brought Carrie Ann with them.

A short while later, Ningfang arrived with her mother. Since everyone

else was busy in the kitchen, House answered the door.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Liu," Ningfang's mother said. She was a small woman with a cap of black hair and smiling dark eyes. "And this is my daughter." She indicated a slim girl carrying a sleeping bag, pillow, and backpack, all in bright pinks and purples.

"Another refugee from Dana Foreman's class," House said.

"You know Mrs. Foreman?" Ningfang asked.

House didn't answer.

"Ningfang!" Emily exclaimed coming in from the kitchen with Gretchen

right behind her. "Hi! This is Gretchen."

"C'mon, I'll show you where you can put your stuff," Gretchen told

her and the three of them ran off to the family room where the girls

would be sleeping.

"Your wife said that I should pick her up between ten thirty and

eleven tomorrow morning," Mrs. Liu said to confirm the arrangements.

He didn't correct her. In fact he didn't know what to say, and was

grateful when Lydia Carmichael came to the door with Elizabeth and

Ruth.

"Hello, Dr. House," Lydia said.

He nodded at her. "The girls are in the family room," he told the

two nine-year-olds. They took their things and headed where he'd

indicated. He almost wished he could go with them instead of standing

awkwardly with these two mothers.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Mrs. Liu finally said and walked away.

"Will Dr. Cameron need any help with the girls?" Lydia asked.

"Her friend Clair is spending the night," he said.

"That's good. I'll see you tomorrow, too, then."

Before House could escape front-door duty, Mrs. Swenson came along

with Audra. House smiled briefly. He knew how much Gretchen had been

hoping that the strawberry blond would be able to make it.

"Hello, Dr. House," Audra said.

"My husband finally agreed to let her come if I stay for a while

and make sure Audra will be OK," Mrs. Swenson apologized.

House just nodded.

"I made some cookies for the girls." She held a platter, covered in plastic, but he could still smell them.

House wondered whether he could steal one but decided he'd have a

better chance to snag one later. "You can take them to the kitchen.

Audra, the girls are in the family room, I think."

House peered out the door to see whether anyone else was coming,

then quickly closed it and headed to the kitchen for a beer.

Six girls were getting acquainted in the family room, with each other

and with three Bassets. Since Chase and Sully weren't back from their

honeymoon, Harry was still there.

"Where's Calene?" Emily asked.

"She said she might be late," Ningfang said.

"Let's take the dogs out in the yard while it's still light outside,"

Gretchen suggested.

"Isn't it too cold?" Ruth asked, but the others just put their

jackets on and went out.

After a while Emily slipped away from the other girls and the

dogs. There was something she had to ask her Aunt Allie. She found

her alone in the kitchen ordering pizza for everyone. House had

gotten his drink and snuck away to the bedroom. This house full

of females was getting to him. Cameron sent Clair to show Ingrid

Swenson where the bathroom was while she ordered the food.

"Aunt Allie, can I ask you something?"

"Oh, hi, honey. What is it?" Cameron asked as she turned off the

phone.

"Did you know about the article Dr. Davidson wrote last year on his

research with Dr. Billings?" Emily asked.

"Yes, I did. But how did you find out?"

"I met Scott Billings at Games and Grub when we were there last

night. He told me," she said. "Why didn't you tell Mom?"

"Oh, honey, she just seems to like Davidson so much and I only heard

about it third hand." She hesitated as she tried to decide what to

tell the child. "Do you know what that means?"

Emily nodded.

Clair came back and was surprised to see Emily in the kitchen. "How

come you're not outside with the other girls?"

"I needed to talk to Aunt Allison."

Cameron sighed. Now that Emily knew she decided there were some

things she hadn't told Clair that she should. "She was asking me

about an article that Davidson wrote, one where he didn't acknowledge

Arthur Billings' part in the research."

"Like he did with you?" Clair asked.

Cameron nodded.

"I'm beginning to have second thoughts about him, Allie. He spent

a good part of last evening asking me about your research, not that

I could tell him much," Clair admitted.

"I don't think he's very nice," Emily told her mother. "I'm sorry,

Mom. I tried to like him."

"It's OK, honey," her mother told her. "I want to talk to Aunt Allison

about this. Why don't you go off and play with your friends?"

Emily nodded and went back outside.

"You haven't liked him from the start, have you?" Clair asked.

"I just get the feeling he's up to something, and it's not a good

something."

**Chapter 176. GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS - PART 2**

All of the girls were fascinated by the three Bassets and their

antics, the way they chased each other and danced around. "I've been

trying to train Junior," Gretchen said. "Junior, roll over," she

commanded.

The dog seemed to look at her questioningly but he didn't move.

"Let me try with Carrie Ann," Emily said. "Carrie Ann, roll over."

Carrie Ann looked at her, then at the other dogs, and sat down.

Emily sighed.

All of a sudden, Harry rolled over. The other two dogs watched him

and heard the girls clapping. Junior looked at Gretchen, then he too

rolled over. Gretchen clapped again. Finally Carrie Ann rolled over.

Emily bent down and petted her. "That's my girl!"

It looked to Cameron like the girls and dogs were having a good

time. Clair and Ingrid were cutting up vegetables to go with the

girls' pizza. So Cameron grabbed one of Ingrid's Swedish gingerbread cookies

and went to find House.

She thought he'd gone to their bedroom, but when she walked in, he

wasn't there. Glancing through the side window she spotted him

sitting on the porch next door, talking to Grandfather Nayar.

She smiled and, after a stop in the kitchen for another cookie and

to tell Clair and Ingrid she'd be right back, she headed over to the

two men.

"I thought you two might enjoy a treat," she said, handing a cookie

to each of them. "Ingrid calls them 'pepperkakor'."

Sushil Nayar took a bite, and exclaimed, "This is very good!"

"Tastes like gingerbread," House said, but that didn't stop him from

consuming the entire thing in just a few bites.

"Well, I've got to get back. The pizza should be here soon," Cameron

said. She left thinking about House's interest in the old man.

"She is a very beautiful woman," Sushil said in his sing-song voice

after he'd finished his cookie. "Your daughter is also."

House looked at his neighbor. "They're beautiful inside as well as

out," he said.

"Oh, but that's what I meant," Sushil agreed. "The beauty from inside

shines through. My Indira was like that." He sniffed back incipient

tears. "I miss her oh so very much."

"But you're not alone. You have your son and his family," House said.

Sushil nodded. "Savor every moment you have with your family. You never know how much time you have with them."

"I've already wasted years I could have spent with them. I don't

intend to lose any more time."

Nita came out to the porch. "Hello Dr. House. Papa, it's getting

cold. Why don't you come inside?" she told her grandfather.

He nodded, got up and went in saying, "Goodnight, Dr. House."

"Goodnight, Mr. Nayar," House responded.

House's curiosity was getting to him. He could hear the girls'

laughter and the dogs' barks coming from his backyard. So, rather

than go inside, he stood on the Nayar's side of the fence and watched

them.

The six girls seemed to be getting along very well together, even

though they weren't the same. When did their personalities form,

and why were they so different? Audra, the one who fascinated him

the most besides his daughter, lived under conditions that he

continued to empathize with. Her authoritarian grandfather ruling

her life, preventing her from having the experiences most 'normal'

girls her age had. Then there was Elizabeth. How did a girl of only

nine develop such poise and polish? Ruth, the one Gretchen and

Audra described as clingy, had the least defined personality of her

own.

Emily made him smile for some reason. He could understand why she

and Gretchen were such good friends. Emily was a 'watcher'. Very

intelligent and probably very analytical, she studied everyone else

before she made up her mind about them. Her Chinese friend was very

talkative. What she said seemed to make the other girls laugh.

Probably a very sharp cookie.

First and last of course was his daughter. His daughter. This

creature who filled his heart and mind, bringing him so much joy,

joy he never believed he'd ever find.

The girls were going inside now, and he was beginning to feel the

cold so he went in, too.

He was met with the shrill sound of multiple girly voices telling

Cameron, Clair and Ingrid about the dogs. Cameron calmed them down

and got them settled in the family room to wait for the pizza.

The doorbell rang. Cameron called out "I'll get it. It's probably

the delivery guy."

She opened the door on a tall dark-haired man and a girl with short

curly dark hair.

"Allison!" the man said. "I thought it might be you."

"Joe?"

**Chapter 177. Girls Girls Girls - Part 3**

"This is Calene." Joe indicated the dark-haired girl with him. His own hair had some gray in it and he was heavier, but then it had been years since Cameron had seen him and she knew she looked older too.

Cameron shifted her gaze to the child. "The girls are in the family room."

Ningfang burst into the entry hall. "Calene! We were wondering where you were!"

"We had to drop off Cody and then go all the way cross town to pick up Kenny" Calene was explaining as she followed Ningfang to the family room.

"C'mon in," Cameron invited Joe.

"When my wife mentioned that the woman she spoke to about the sleepover was Dr. Allison Cameron, I hoped it was really you," Joe said, walking with her toward the kitchen.

"Joe, this is my fiancé, Greg House, and my friend Clair Palmer. She's Emily's mother. And this is Ingrid Swenson. Her granddaughter, Audra, is in our daughter Gretchen's class." She turned to House, Clair and Ingrid. "This is Joe Romano, an old friend."

House's right eyebrow went up. He was disconcerted by the look Clair was giving Joe. Who was this guy?

"Can you stay?" Cameron asked. "We've ordered pizza and there'll be plenty."

"Sorry. My oldest son is in the car. My wife took the twins ice skating and we'll have to pick up the youngest, Cody, from a birthday party in a little while."

Cameron walked him to the door, House trailing behind.

"One of us will be here to pick up Cali. You said 10:30 or 11, right?" Joe asked for confirmation.

"Yes. It was nice to see you again." As she opened the door for him, the pizza delivery guy showed up.

Joe walked to his car. He looked back at her before he got in and saw her take the pizza boxes inside.

"Pizza's here!" Cameron called to the girls. "Go wash your hands and come to the kitchen to get it."

The adults had arranged the carrot sticks and cut up peppers and celery along with paper plates, napkins, drinks and cups on the kitchen counters. Clair helped Cameron put out the six boxes of pizza - a sausage and peppers one for House, two with extra cheese, and one each with mushrooms, pepperoni and vegetables, enough choice to please everyone.

The girls came filing into the kitchen. "Yum, pizza!" Ningfang said. The girls each took a plate and placed a slice of pizza and some vegetables on it. All except Audra who glanced at her grandmother to see whether it was alright for her to take a piece. She'd never had pizza before. But after a slight nod from her grandmother, she followed the other girls' lead and took a piece.

Large as the kitchen was, it wasn't big enough for seven girls and four adults to eat in, so the girls went back to the family room balancing their plates and drinks and sat on the floor. The women filled their own plates, even Ingrid who was curious to try the pizza, and joined the girls, sitting on the couch and chair. But House remained in the kitchen, enjoying his pizza and beer in peace.

"We should say Grace," Elizabeth suggested and a few of the girls nodded.

"You do it," Ruth told her. She just loved to listen to Elizabeth's voice.

"OK. Um, we thank you God for this delicious food and good friends to share it with," she said. This satisfied everyone and they began to eat. Both Audra and Ingrid watched how the others folded their triangles of pizza and bit into the narrow end, then they did the same. The pizza burned the roof of Audra's mouth but it tasted wonderful.

"This is pretty good," Calene said. "My grandpa Romano makes the BEST homemade pizza."

"Have you ever had pizza with anchovies?" Ningfang asked. "My sister likes that."

"My brother likes it with ham and pineapple," Ruth said with a shudder.

"I didn't even know you had a brother," Gretchen said.

"Yup, an older brother and an older sister." Ruth looked up at Cameron. "May I have another piece of pizza?"

"Sure, go help yourself, anyone who wants more. There's plenty."

"I have an older brother, one younger brother and two younger sisters," Cali said.

"I just have a younger brother," Elizabeth said.

Gretchen nodded. "Gareth. Audra and I met him at your house. He's kinda cute."

"Only when he's not getting into my things," Elizabeth told her.

"I don't have any brothers or sisters," Emily said.

Audra looked at her. "I don't either. And neither does Gretchen."

"Except she'll have one next summer," Emily corrected, feeding a piece of crust to Carrie Ann who was sitting in her lap.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," Audra said. "Is it OK to give the dogs a piece of this?" she asked.

Soon the girls were feeding bits of crust to the dogs.

"Not too much," Cameron warned. "It's not that good for them."


	85. Chapters 178 amd 179

__Here are the last two sleepover chapters. It's been an experience for all concerned. __

__We'll be finishing up this story in the next two or three weeks. And then you can hang onto your seats for the sequel. It was a bit of an experiment for me, as you'll see, and a rather bumpy ride.__

__Thanks for reading and for all the great reviews. If I haven't replied it's because your comments came through as from Guest. __

**Chapter 178. YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT**

Ingrid had finished two pieces of pizza and some carrots. She was

now convinced that Audra would be fine here for the night, but had

one last question.

"I noticed that the other girls brought sleeping bags. Audra doesn't

have one," she told Cameron.

"Oh, don't worry. Gretchen has three and I ran them all through the

washer last night in case we needed them. Audra can use one of

them."

Mrs. Swenson grinned with relief. "Oh, thank you Dr. Cameron. You and your family have been so kind to Audra."

"It's Allison, remember?" Cameron told her gently.

"Allison. Thank you. I'm afraid Audra hasn't had the easiest of

childhoods, but your daughter and you have given her some experiences

she'd never had and should." Ingrid found her coat and put it on.

"Well, I'll be leaving. Goodnight, Allison, I'll see you in the

morning. Goodnight, everyone," she called out.

After Ingrid left, Cameron and Clair returned to the kitchen. House

had attacked the plate of Ingrid's gingerbread.

"Those were for the girls," Cameron scolded, lightly slapping his

hand.

"So, who's this Joe?" he asked, looking from Cameron to Clair. It was

obvious he'd been brooding about it. "You know, Clair, don't you?"

"No. I...Allie just told me he was a friend of her first husband."

Clair was hesitant to say more.

"But that's not all, right?" He stared at Cameron.

"Greg," Cameron started, then sighed. "I'll tell you about it later,

OK? I haven't seen the man for twenty years or more." She decided to

change the subject. "I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that Clair's

finally seen Davidson for what he is."

"Yeah, and what's that?" House smirked at the two women.

"He was using me to get information about Allison's research," Clair

replied. That tied in with what House thought but he wasn't ready

to tell Cameron what he was doing about it.

Cameron took the rest of the cookies and some ice cream and returned

to the girls. She found them talking about, what else, boys!

"Are there any cute boys in your class?" Calene asked.

"Well..." Elizabeth wasn't used to talking about the subject, but she

did think there was one. "There's David Sherman."

"Oh, yeah, he's very good looking," Ruth said. "And so is Nathan

Burton."

"What about Tommy?" Emily asked.

"Tommy Wilson?" Elizabeth needed clarification.

Em nodded. She thought Tommy was cuter than any of the boys in her

class, even if he was one of her two best friends.

Gretchen studied her friend. She, herself, never thought about what

Tommy looked like, but she realized he was kinda cute. "Yes, he is

cute, isn't he?"

"What about Jonathan in our class?" Ningfang asked.

"Ooooh!" Calene said, grinning.

Later the girls settled down in their sleeping bags. It

would be hours before they fell asleep, but that's not what a

sleepover was for, was it?

Clair had offered to finish cleaning up in the kitchen, so House and

Cameron retired to their bedroom. Cameron was glad since she was

feeling very tired.

But the minute they were alone, House turned to her and demanded,

"So, who is Joe?"

"Clair told you," she said defensively. "He was Sam's best friend. He

stood by both of us through Sam's illness. Greg, I...I was attracted

to him. I think I fell in love with him. Maybe it was the emotional

circumstances. But after Sam died, we couldn't spend any time at all

together. It was too painful. I haven't seen him since."

"Are you still attracted to him, still in love with him?" House asked

in a choked voice.

"Greg, it was years ago!" she shouted. She reached out a hand to

touch his bristly cheek. "And you know that since I met you, there

hasn't been anyone else that I wanted," she said in a softer voice.

"I love you, Gregory House, only you."

He stared at her. She was his fiancée, the mother of his daughter, of

both of his children, but he still felt insecure, afraid that he'd

lose her someday, that she'd tire of him, find someone younger,

better-looking, nicer.

Cameron moved closer and put both arms around his neck before she

kissed him passionately. All his fears went back where they'd been

hiding. As long as she loved him and wanted to be with him, he was

going to make the most of it. And what better time than now!

He held her away just enough so that he could begin to unbutton her

blouse. She took the opportunity to return the favor. As they

undressed each other, they stopped periodically to kiss, but once her

top was off, he started a trail of kisses down her neck all the way

to the cleavage between her breasts.

Her hand found the button and zipper of his jeans and before long

what bulged underneath. As his jeans fell to the ground, she pressed

against him.

"You've still got too much on," he said, removing her slacks and

slipping a hand under the waistband of her panties. Soon, skin touched skin, and a short time later they were on the bed, expressing their love for each other in one of their favorite ways.

**Chapter 179. THERE'S GOT TO BE A MORNING AFTER**

Cameron woke the next morning feeling unsettled. Suddenly, trying

not to disturb House, she bolted for the bathroom. She made

it before the pizza from the night before made a return appearance.

"Allie, are you OK?" House called to her.

She padded slowly back to the bed. "Just some morning sickness," she

said. "I took a Comtab to settle my stomach."

"Guess the bambino doesn't like pizza," he quipped, but he could see

how drained she looked. "Get back in bed. I'll go get the slumberites

some breakfast."

"If they're even up yet," she said, but she didn't argue. She crawled

under the sheet. He kissed her forehead, then headed for the bathroom

himself to shower. She smiled admiring his naked back and buns as

he went.

Once he was dressed, House limped to the kitchen. A glance into the

family room revealed that most of the girls were asleep, but his

daughter and her classmate (Rita? No, Ruth) were chatting quietly,

something about the piano.

He continued on to the empty kitchen and made some coffee. Years of

ducklings who couldn't make coffee, or at least not as good as

Cameron did, had forced him to learn how to make it himself on

occasion.

Gretchen and Ruth, with fluffy robes over their p.j.s, soon joined

him. "Where's Mom?" Gretchen asked.

"She's not feeling too well this morning," House told her. "Just

morning sickness," he added when he saw the concern on her face.

"Oh. Did she take her meds?"

"Yes. She'll be OK in a little while."

"Ruth was asking why we have two pianos and all the guitars," Gretchen

told him.

House looked at the other girl. "Do you play?"

"No, but I always wanted to. My brother and sister took piano

lessons but, well, I never did."

House decided not to ask why, although he was beginning to wonder

about the girl's story.

"So I guess we're stuck with cereal for breakfast, huh?" Gretchen

asked, knowing the limits to her father's cooking abilities.

"Or cold pizza." House opened the refrigerator. There were only four

slices left, and there wasn't enough milk for seven or more bowls

of cereal, with any left over to drink.

"Maybe Aunt Clair can make us omelets," Gretchen suggested.

Two more of the girls, Ningfang and Audra, had now joined them, along

with the dogs.

"I'm getting hungry," Ningfang said.

Clair walked in fully dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

"Where's Allison?" she asked.

"She had a bit of morning sickness. She'll be OK, but I guess it's

you and me on breakfast patrol." House sat down with a mug

of coffee and waited for Clair to do something.

Clair smirked at him, then took eggs and leftover vegetables out of

the refrigerator. She set to work at the stove, but House couldn't

wait. He took a slice of cold pizza for himself.

"What about some for us?" Gretchen asked, watching her father.

So he took out the three remaining slices and cut them in half.

"That's only six, Dad" she pointed out.

House sighed. But he cut his piece, too, and added one half slice

to the ones for the girls. "Satisfied?" he snarled.

His daughter grinned at him. "Very."

By then all the girls were awake and congregating in the kitchen.

"Did anyone feed the dogs?" Emily asked.

"No, and I guess we should walk them too," Gretchen said.

House had been looking for an excuse to escape from a kitchen filled

with females. "I'm dressed. I'll take them." He grabbed their leashes

and his jacket, cap and cane, then left with the three dogs. He

strolled with them to the end of Cherry Tree Lane, then down the main

road of the subdivision, Appleton Boulevard.

Meanwhile the girls ate their omelets and cold pizza with glasses

of milk or orange juice, still chattering away as girls do about

music and books, video games, TV shows and movies. Then one-by-one

they showered and dressed.

House returned and finally settled down with his own breakfast just

as Cameron joined him and Clair in the kitchen.

"Feeling better?" Clair asked.

"Oh, yeah. I just never know when this will hit. It's not every day,

just a couple of times a week. With Gretchen, it was like clockwork.

Every morning at 7:30 for about six weeks, and a couple of dry

crackers were all I needed to get over it." She looked around and

saw the stack of dirty plates. "Thanks for getting everyone some

breakfast."

"It was my pleasure, with a little help from House." Clair smiled at

him. In response to Cameron's raised eyebrow she added, "He made the

coffee and cut the pizza. Are you up for some eggs?"

"Actually, I'm starving!" Cameron said.

As the girls rolled up their sleeping bags, they agreed that they'd

had a wonderful time together and would do it again sometime, maybe

at another one of the girls' homes. Soon their mothers, or in Audra's

case, grandmother, arrived to pick up the happy but sleepy girls.

House noticed that Calene's mother had similar coloring and build to

Cameron, but didn't say anything. She seemed to study Cameron, then

shrugged and helped her daughter gather her things.

Cameron insisted that Audra take the sleeping bag she'd used "for the

next sleepover." Both Audra and Ingrid thanked her.

Finally the only ones left were House, Cameron, Gretchen, Clair and

Emily.

"You were right, Gretchen," Emily proclaimed.

"Aren't I always?" Gretchen asked, sounding just like her father.

"About what?"

"This sleepover was totally outrageous!" Emily replied.


	86. Chapters180-181

__Here are the last two sleepover chapters. It's been an experience for all concerned. __

__I'd meant to post these chapters last night, but was on a roll with my NaNoWriMo story and wanted to hit the 50K mark before I went to sleep.__

__We're home now and since I can relax a little with NaNo, I'll be posting my stories much more regularly.__

__Thanks for reading and for all the great reviews. __

**Chapter 180. SLOWLY BUT SURELY**

When Cameron entered her office Monday morning and turned on her

computer, there was an email message from Chris Monroe at the CDC.

He confirmed that the vaccine for the 2003-2004 influenza season

had contained the Hong Kong substrain of B-type influenza in addition

to the New Caledonia and Panama A subtypes.

The vaccine each year was made up of a strain of H1N1 A, one of H2N2

A, and one of B, based in part on what had been prevalent in prior

years. As ressortment occurred, new strains became dominant. The

Hong Kong substrain hadn't been used in vaccines since.

Chris had previously compared the hemagglutination inhibition and the

RNA of isolated Brazilian flu viruses with more recent strains but

hadn't gone back that far.

Another message from Dr. Sylvio said that she had isolated the virus from

her patients and would be sending it to the labs at St. Judes for

testing. Cameron smiled. They were finally getting some results. But

she still had to find out why the platelets elongated. This had never

been noted for the Hong Kong flu virus. She also had to determine

why different antibiotics were effective in different cases.

But right now she had rounds. There were sick patients who needed her

immediate attention.

Russell Davidson strode into the general labs of PPTH and straight

to Clair Palmer's office. She noticed him standing in her doorway

after a minute and put down her pen.

"You're avoiding me," he said, but tried to make it sound non-

accusatory.

"Russell, I'm busy. Did you want something?" she asked rather

sharply.

"You haven't returned my calls."

She stared at him. He had a lot of nerve. "I knew you only wanted to

pump me some more about Allison's research."

"That's not true!" he protested.

Clair's eyebrows said different. "Russell, I don't think we should

see each other anymore."

"Clair, I know I spent a lot of time asking about Cameron's tests

the other night, but I want to make it up to you. I really want to

get to know you better." Was he pleading?

Clair's stare had turned into a glare. She dismissed him with, "I

don't want to get involved with anyone right now. I'm sorry." She

went back to the papers on her desk, hoping he'd just go away. And

after some hesitation, he did.

But a few minutes later she saw Arthur Billings at the counter

outside, talking to Marty. Soon Marty went off, presumably to get

something for Billings. She put down the paper in her hand and

stood up, then walked out to where Billings was waiting.

"Dr. Billings, hello." She smiled at him. "Do you have a few minutes?

I'd like to ask you a some questions." He followed her back

to her office, then stood waiting to find out what was on her mind.

"Your son told Emily the other night that Davidson wrote an article

last year about work you did together."

"Yes, he did." He shrugged. He didn't know why she was asking.

"What else can you tell me about him?" Clair asked.

"I thought you were his latest..." Billings hesitated.

"His latest what?" she prompted. Her face was impassive.

He sighed. "Conquest." He looked down, wouldn't meet her eyes.

"No, I've decided not to date him anymore," she told him in an even

voice.

Billings looked up, then sighed again. "He's gone through half the nurses

in the hospital and a few of the female doctors. And he always has

to be the one to break it off. I don't know what you told him, but

when Kelly Drummond left him, he harassed her, stalked her until he

found someone else and lost interest."

"Oh!" Clair thought about the implications of what he said. "Thank

you for warning me."

"He's a formidable enemy," Billings said. Then his eyes widened. "You know, I've always wondered why he didn't go after Dr. Cameron when she started here."

"Maybe he realized that he'd never be safe from House's cane," Clair

said with a slight smile.

Billings chuckled. They both noticed that Marty was back with the

supplies Billings had requested. "Well, I'll see you, Dr. Palmer.

Take care, now."

Some days Clair never had any visitors, but today it was like Grand

Central Station in the labs. The next to arrive was her best friend.

"Hi, Clair," Cameron said. "I hope you can help me."

"What's the problem?" Clair asked.

"Oh, not a problem exactly. I just have so much lab work to do for

my research, I wondered if I could use one of your lab techs. It'll

mostly be virus isolation and testing."

Clair thought for less than a minute. "I wouldn't mind helping myself

but I have a better idea. We have a new lab technician named Megan.

She just started a week ago, but she's been doing really well so far.

She's fast and accurate."

"Sounds like just what I'm looking for," Cameron said with a broad

smile.

"C'mon, I'll introduce you," Clair told her, and the two friends

set off together.

**Chapter 181. ON THE LINE**

Later, when House and Cameron had lunch together in the cafeteria,

she told him, "Clair said that she told Davidson it was over."

House just nodded.

She continued, "She also told me that Billings warned her about

Davidson's vindictiveness. Does he really harass any woman who

breaks off with him?"

"So I've heard," House said, but then he silently chewed on a bite

of his Reuben.

"What's going on in that maze you call a brain?" Cameron asked,

suspicious of his silence.

"You think I care?" He feigned surprise.

She just smirked. "You're planning something. There's a certain glint

in your eyes that you get when you're working out the details of a

particularly devious plan."

"Nah, I was just thinking about how much fun we'll have on the cruise

ship."

"A-ha! You having fun!" Cameron made a face.

"We've had a lot of fun the last couple of months," he insisted.

"Yes, you're right. We have." She grinned just thinking about it.

She'd finished her chef's salad and eaten half of her jello. "I'm

sure you won't mind finishing this for me" she said, sliding it over

to him.

"Why'd you get green?" he asked with a sneer but took it and started

to eat it anyway.

"I'm off to check on a new flu patient and then get back to work on

my tests." She stood, kissed the top of his head, and left.

Once House finished his lunch and Cameron's jello, he too left the

cafeteria, heading back down to talk to Josh Beaumont again.

That evening, Cameron knew she finally had to make two phone calls.

She picked up the phone and started with the easier of the calls.

Bonnie picked up before the second ring. "Allison?"

"Hi, Bonnie. How are you?" Cameron asked.

"I'm fine. We're all fine," Bonnie replied, but was obviously puzzled

that her sister had called. "Um, how are you all?"

"Oh, we're fine too, well except for the occasional bout of morning

sickness."

"I presume you're the one with that." Bonnie chuckled.

"Very funny." Cameron realized she had to get to the point of the

call. "Bonnie, are you guys still free during the holiday school

break?"

"Yes, but I thought you wanted us to come there in February."

"Well, we still do but...House and I are getting married on the

27th."

"Of December?"

"Yes."

"Sooo, you want us to come then?" Bonnie still wasn't sure she

understood.

"Yes, but not to Princeton. We're getting married on a cruise ship,

and we'd like you all to come along."

"Oh!" Bonnie said. "But what about Mom and Dad?"

"I'll invite them of course," Cameron told her.

"But you don't want them to be there."

"Mom hates ships," Cameron reminded her.

"Yes, she does. Guess that guarantees they won't attend," Bonnie

concluded.

"Bonnie I didn't plan it that way, but you have to admit it's for the

best."

"What about Dad? I thought the two of you were finally getting

close and beginning to appreciate each other."

"That's the hard part," Cameron agreed. "I wouldn't mind at all if he

was there. Do you think he'd come without Mom?"

"No, unfortunately. And can you imagine what Mom would be like if he

did?" Bonnie asked. "When are you going to tell them?"

"I've been avoiding it, but now that I've talked to you, I guess I

can't wait any longer. I'll call them tonight."

"Good. Well, I've gotta go help Kevin with his homework," Bonnie said.

"He can easily do it himself, but I think he wants me to feel that

I'm needed."

"You've got a great family, Bonnie," Cameron said. "We're looking

forward to having our friends meet you. I'll call in a few days with

more details."

"Sounds good. And if I didn't say, or even if I did, congratulations,

Allie."

"Kiss the kids for me and hug that husband of yours. Bye."

"Tell Gretchen and House we're looking forward to seeing them again.

Bye, Sis."

House and Gretchen had come over while she was talking. "Bonnie,

Billy and the boys will be coming on the cruise."

"Hooray!" Gretchen said with a smile.

"Guess you have to call your folks now." House knew once she

did, he'd have to call his, too.

"I can't wait any longer," she said.

"Hey, the worst that can happen is that your mother will decide to

make the supreme sacrifice and come along."

Cameron nodded. "That's what I'm most afraid of."


	87. Chapters182 and 183

__As we countdown to the wedding and cruise, here are two more chapters. Not all of the plotlines will be tied up in this story, in fact quite a few will continue into the sequel. __

__Thanks for taking the time to read. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this and appreciate every review.__

**Chapter 182. PHONE CALLS**

Cameron was still reluctant to make her second phone call but she

decided she had to get it over with. Her father answered the phone.

"Hi Dad. It's Allison."

"Oh, hello." Butch sounded surprised to hear from her.

"Dad, I know that when we were in Chicago you asked House when we'd

be getting married. Well, we've set a date."

"Oh, that's great Allison." There was a pleased sound to his voice.

"We're getting married on a cruise ship just after Christmas" she

told him.

"A ship? You do remember that your mother hates boats."

"I remembered that after we made our plans. I'm sorry. I...I really

would have liked you to be there."

"Me, but not your mother?" He sighed.

How could she explain so he wouldn't be hurt? "She wouldn't have

approved even if we did it on dry land. Nothing short of a church

wedding, complete with minister, would please her, but that's not us."

"Allison, I understand. I'm just a little disappointed. What about

your sister?" he asked.

"I just spoke to her. They'll be coming for the wedding and the

cruise."

"Well, at least the family will be represented," he said.

"Dad..." Cameron began, but then in the background she heard her

mother's voice.

"Alexander, who's on the phone?"

"Uh-oh," Butch said. "She's using my given name. That's never a good sign." He raised his voice to tell his wife, "It's Allison. She wanted to let us know that she and House are getting married in a couple of weeks."

"Well, that's not much notice, although it's about time!" came

Cheryl's reply, purposely loud enough to carry over the phone.

"The wedding's on a cruise ship," Butch told her.

"Figures. She knows I hate boats."

"Cheryl, this is not about you." Butch sounded exasperated.

"And I suppose you want to go to give her away to that man," Cheryl

accused.

"'That man' has a name, Gregory House. I wish I could be there. Even

if you can't be happy for our daughter, I am." He turned back to the

phone. "Sorry, Allison."

"It's OK Dad. Thanks for telling Mom. I'm the one who should be sorry

for the hard time she's giving you over this," Cameron said.

"I've had lots of years of practice, although she's been worse lately

I guess I better go and let her rant some more. Bye, honey. And tell

House I wish you both the best. Oh, and hug my granddaughter for me."

"Bye, Dad."

House had been listening to Cameron's side of the conversation, and

even he had heard Cheryl's tirade. He knew it was now his turn.

"Did you want me to call your Mom?" Cameron offered.

"No, I'd better do it myself," he told her. He took the phone from her

and sat down at the table as he punched in his parents number.

"Hello?" Blythe answered.

"Hi Mom," he said.

"Gregory! How are you?"

"Oh, not bad. Actually pretty good. Um, Allison and I are getting

married."

"Why that's wonderful! When and where?"

House explained their plan.

"Oh!" His mother sounded disappointed. "We were going to see Jerry

Rockland in Sarasota that week. You remember Jerry, don't you? One

of your Dad's marine buddies?"

"Uh, yeah," House said, even though he didn't. He knew he should be

relieved, but he felt the same disappointment he always had whenever

his father missed all the important events in his life. John had

never even tried to be there for him. The first time he hit a home

run, his high school graduation, the first time he scored in lacrosse

and even his college graduation. But he'd expected that his mother

would at least want to share this moment with him.

"You know when your father decides to do something, there's no

dissuading him," Blythe tried to explain.

"That's OK," House said. "I wouldn't want you to defy him. I know too

well what would happen."

"Gregory!"

"Have a good visit with Gary," he said.

"It's Jerry," Blythe corrected. "Greg, you know I wish you, Allison

and your daughter the best."

He nodded, then realized she couldn't see him. "Thank you.

Bye, Mom."

"Goodbye, Gregory dear."

He put the phone down, not sure what to feel. But when he looked at

his two girls he decided he had all the family he needed right there.

**Chapter 183. LET'S FIND OUT**

"So, you're really going to marry Dr. House?" Megan asked Cameron.

"Why do you ask?" Cameron answered, smiling at the young woman's

candor. She'd explained once what she needed her to do with the

samples from her flu patients and the lab tech had immediately

started the preparations.

"Nurse Katie was talking to the other nurses in the clinic when I

brought them some test results yesterday. He's kinda scary," Megan

said. "Or at least some of the nurses are afraid of him."

Cameron could have objected but she needed to protect House's image

and, truthfully, there was something to their fears. "He doesn't

suffer fools. I guess some people can't take his brutal honesty. But

if they're idiots he tells them so."

Meggie just nodded. She had her own opinion of those nurses. "I'm

glad Doctor Palmer broke off with Dr. Davidson," she said, switching

topics. "Talk about scary men. I know you work with him, but..."

"We were working together on this research, at least I thought so,

until he published his own results without consulting me."

Again Meggie nodded knowingly. "I heard he has a habit of doing

that."

Cameron grinned. "The best part, though, was that he got it wrong."

She watched as the lab technician continued to work on the samples,

not missing a step, as she chatted away. "You're helping me get the

right answers," Cameron told her.

"Good." Meggie flashed her a smile, then continued on to someone

else. "You know who I think is dreamy? Dr. Chase from the ER. He's a

friend of yours, isn't he?"

"We started out here together," Cameron replied. "You do know that

he's recently married?"

"Oh, yeah. Dr. Sullivan's a very lucky woman."

Over the next ten minutes Megan had related all of the hospital

gossip. She'd only been there a little over a week, but she already

knew it all. She was obviously very observant and just as inquisitive

about everyone at PPTH. Suddenly the chatter stopped in the middle

of her telling about one of the cardiologists and a nurse in

Pediatrics. "OK. All done. Now what do I do?"

She'd isolated five virus samples each from samples from seven

patients, each neatly labeled and ready for analysis. Clair had been

right. She was just the lab partner Cameron needed for her research.

"I've got two sequencing devices. Run each of the virus samples

through and see what virus they match in the device's database. I

have an appointment, but I'll be back in about an hour."

"OK. It sure will be great to disprove Dr. Davidson's conclusions."

Megan went back to work.

Cameron left her and headed to House's office. She hoped he'd

remembered that today was the day they'd find out whether they were

having a 'bambino' or 'bambina'.

She met him coming to find her, so they took the elevator together.

"Aren't you going to wager which it is?" she asked playfully.

"Nah. I don't really care. I'd rather save my money for something

else. If we have another girl, she'll probably be just as amazing

as Gretchen, and if it's a boy, well, he'll also be just as amazing."

Cameron thought that all men, even House, wanted to have a son, but

realized it wasn't that important to him. They reached Dr. Ziegler's

office.

"Go right in," the receptionist said. "Dr. Ziegler is waiting for

you in the exam room."

"Ah, Allison. Good to see you," the head of Ob/Gyn said. "Hope the

baby's cooperative today. We should be able to check the fetal heart

rate and the gestational age by ultrasound and possibly test the

amniotic fluid to tell the sex, although it's a little early."

He passed the narrow wand over Cameron's bare stomach. It was smaller

than the transducer probes that had been used in the past, but gave

a much clearer image on the monitor. House and Cameron's eyes were

glued to the screen as the Obstetrician checked the readouts. The

fetal heart rate and size were normal for the seventh week of

gestation.

"Everything still looks fine," he said. "Next time you come in we can

scan for any abnormalities." Next, he took a slim needle to safely

sample the fluid surrounding the baby. A drop was placed in an

analyzer. "I think I can say with 85% certainty that it's a boy,"

Dr. Ziegler announced.

"Really?" Cameron hadn't expected to be so excited. She tore her

eyes away from the image on the screen to look at House's face. The

sheer joy she saw there warmed her heart.

She was still euphoric when House walked her back to the lab, so

euphoric in fact that she didn't quite take in what Meggie told her.

Some of the samples she isolated matched the Hong Kong B virus, but

some of them didn't match any in the device database. She was working

on trying to match them to each other.

"That could begin to explain why different antibiotics were needed,"

House said. This was definitely an anomaly that intrigued him.


	88. Chapters 184 and 185

__Before we get to the wedding and cruise, there are some holiday happenings to experience, beginning today with Chanukah. We'll also get to meet more of Wilson's family.__

__I've been thrilled with all the wonderful comments I've been getting on this story lately, and pleased that more people are choosing it as a favorite.__

**Chapter 185. BAND OF BROTHERS**

Wilson was grating potatoes for latkes in the well-equipped Wilson-

Cuddy kitchen while his wife basted a large turkey before putting

it back in one of the two ovens.

"Why do we always invite so many people for holiday dinners?" Cuddy

lamented.

Wilson grinned at her. "You're not kidding me. You LOVE to cook for

an army instead of just the three of us."

She went back to peeling onions for him. The doorbell rang and they

could hear Tommy 'run' to get it, followed closely by Albert.

"Hello Uncle Ben, Aunt Janet," he greeted the man and woman at the

door. The man looked like an older version of his Uncle

Marty and the woman was short and thin with frizzy graying hair. A

younger woman, just as thin but a little taller and with curly dark

hair, stood behind them.

"Rachel! You came!" Tommy exclaimed. "I thought you were still at

college."

"I just got home yesterday for winter break." His cousin was a biology

major at Columbia. "Jonathan won't be home until next weekend."

Jon was her older brother who went to Tufts.

"C'mon in. You can put your coats on the couch in there." Tommy

indicated the home office his parents shared. "Mom and Dad are in

the kitchen." His uncle took all the coats into the office.

"You got a puppy!" Rachel didn't bother to contain her excitement

when she noticed the Basset. She bent down to rub his ears.

"This is Albert," Tommy told her.

The doorbell rang again. It was House, Cameron and Gretchen, and

Junior too. Ben came back to see who it was. "Dr. House. I haven't

seen you in a while."

House never knew what to say in these situations. Cameron saved him

as she often did. "Hi, I'm Greg's fiancée, Allison Cameron, and this

is our daughter Gretchen. Oh, and the four-legged one is Junior. You

must be Wilson's older brother."

"Miss Cameron," Ben said, shaking her outstretched hand. "This is my

wife, Janet, and my daughter, Rachel."

"Are the puppies related?" Rachel asked.

"Brothers." Gretchen grinned.

"And their sister will be here soon, too," Tommy said. The bell rang a

third time. "Maybe that's them now." But when he opened the door, it

was Marty and Nancy.

"Marty," Ben said when he saw his youngest brother. "Jimmy never told

me you'd be here." He was frowning.

"He didn't tell me you would either." Marty smirked. "This

is Nancy Lloyd. She works at the hospital too."

"Jimmy told me you were working there now" Ben said. He'd thought

Wilson and Cuddy had taken quite a chance by hiring Marty.

Cameron and House returned from taking their coats and Gretchen's to

the office. It was getting pretty crowded near the entryway.

"Hi Marty, Nancy." Cameron smiled. "Maybe you'd better all move into

the family room," she suggested. "I'm going into the kitchen to see

if I can help."

The other two women went with her.

"Do you both work at the hospital with Jimmy and Lisa?" Janet asked.

The woman appeared to be both timid and nervous.

"Yes," Cameron replied. "In fact, Nancy and I share an office."

"And you're...um, dating my brother-in-law?" Janet asked Nancy.

"Yes, I am," Nancy said with a grin.

"Lisa, can we help?" Cameron asked as they entered the kitchen.

Wilson was almost finished frying the potato pancakes and Cuddy had

just taken the turkey out of the oven

"Well..." Cuddy began, but her husband, seeing the three women, said,

"You didn't leave Ben and Marty alone together, did you?"

"Relax, Wilson. Greg's there, too," Cameron told him.

"And that's better how?" Wilson was becoming alarmed.

"The kids and the dogs are there too," Nancy added, hoping to placate

him.

"It just keeps getting better!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up

in the air. He'd invited both of his brothers because he thought it

was time they spoke to each other again, but he also expected to be

a buffer between them. He placed the last of the latkes on a tall

stack of them, turned off the stove and took off his apron before

walking off towards the family room.

When he entered he thought his worst fears were justified. Both Ben

and Marty were talking heatedly. Ben's face was turning red. But he

soon realized they weren't arguing with each other. They'd joined

forces to argue with House.

"What's going on?" Wilson asked.

"They're both under the delusion that the Knicks are a better team

than the Bulls," House said. "Pffft."

"But you said yesterday that the only team that might be better than

the Knicks was the Lakers," Gretchen said, looking confused.

Her father rolled his eyes, and suddenly Gretchen realized what was

going on. "Or maybe you said the only one worse than the Knicks."

she smiled at him.

He successfully hid his smile.

Wilson made a mental note to thank House at some point. He should

never have doubted his friend's uncanny ability to surprise him and

do the right thing at the oddest moments.

"Dinner's ready!" Cuddy called from the dining room.

**Chapter 186. OH CHANUKAH, OH CHANUKAH, COME LIGHT THE MENORAH**

House and the children, Wilson and his brothers and niece entered

the dining room to find that Cuddy and the other women had brought

out all the food.

"Where are Aunt Clair and Emily?" Gretchen asked her mother as they

sat down.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," her mother told her.

"Before we begin, Tommy is going to light the first Chanukah candle,"

Cuddy announced.

The boy came over to where she'd set up the Menorah with one candle

in the central holder, and another in just one of the eight others

since it was the first night of the holiday. The boy carefully lit

the candles with an igniter, saying the traditional prayer.

Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Haolem

Asher Kideshanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu

Lehadlik Ner Shel Chanukah

Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe,

who has sanctified us with his blessings and commanded

us to kindle the Chanukah lights

Gretchen watched him with awe. "I didn't know you could do that."

"I'm learning some prayers in Hebrew school," he said.

"Oh," she said, remembering that he'd told her about his Hebrew school

classes.

The platters of food made their way around the table. Salad, turkey,

cranberry sauce, broccoli, Wilson's latkes, and rolls. The dogs

suddenly padded over to the door, sensing that someone was coming.

Both Tommy and Gretchen jumped up and went to open it for Clair,

Emily and Carrie Ann.

"We just sat down to eat," Tommy told them.

"You should have seen Tommy lighting the candles!" Gretchen told Em.

Clair and Emily joined everyone else at the table. Wilson introduced

his older brother, Janet and Rachel, but they knew everyone

else.

"Sorry we're late," Clair apologized. "Just as I was leaving my office

I received a call from MedSupplize." She looked at Marty. "They're

recalling the syringes we just got in, something about them leaking."

"But we're almost out. Will they be sending replacements?" Marty

asked.

Clair sighed. "That's what took so long, trying to line up additional

supplies."

"You should have called me, boss," Marty told her.

She smiled at his conscientiousness. "That's OK." She turned to

Cuddy. "Dr. Cuddy, everything looks wonderful." She began to fill her

plate.

"In this house, it's Lisa," Cuddy reminded her.

"Try the latkes," Gretchen told Emily. "Uncle Jimmy made them."

"They're best with some apple sauce," Rachel advised.

For a few minutes everyone was too busy eating to talk.

"Allison, did you find a dress yet?" Cuddy finally asked.

"I haven't even had a chance to look," Cameron confessed.

"You don't have much time," Clair told her friend.

"Maybe I'll go tomorrow night," she said.

"But tomorrow night's the school Christmas concert," her daughter

reminded her. Cameron sighed.

"That's OK, you can wear a lab coat," House suggested.

Everyone looked at him as if he'd really lost it.

"Wha? It's white, isn't it?"

"And I suppose you're wearing jeans to your wedding?" Wilson asked

him.

He was about to say 'yes', but the look in Cameron's eyes stopped

him. "Oh, all right. You can get a dress and I'll wear a suit. I

just thought that since we're getting married on a ship it could be

casual."

"Not that casual," his fiancée told him. "I guess I'll go on the

weekend."

"Can I go with you?" Gretchen asked.

"Sure sweetie. We need to find some clothes for you for the trip

anyway," her mother replied.

"Can I get new clothes for the cruise?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. Aunt Clair and Em can come with us," Gretchen suggested. "And

Aunt Lisa and Nancy too."

Cameron looked around at the others and saw that they liked the idea.

She smiled. "OK."

They finished off their meal with coffee for all of the adults and

cakes and pies for everyone. Then the well-sated males headed for

the family room again, followed by the kids and dogs (who'd had

plenty of food fed to them as they sat under the table.)

"I'm going to teach you to play dreidel" Tommy said. He pulled a top

out of his pocket. It was a special kind with four flat sides and a

letter on each. Then he picked up a bag of foil-covered chocolate

coins and handed some to each of his friends.

"Can I play too?" Rachel asked. She hadn't done this for ages, but

thought it could be fun. Certainly more fun than listening to her

father, uncles and House discuss basketball.

"OK," said Tommy when the four of them sat down on the floor.

"Everyone puts a coin into the center and then we each spin the

dreidel. The letter you land on tells you what to do. This one 'Nun'

means nothing, 'gimmel' means everything so you take all the coins,

'hay' means half, and 'shin' mean put in and you have to add another

coin to the pot."

Neither Gretchen nor Emily had ever played this before but it was

easy to learn. They were having so much fun with it, that halfway through

House eased himself down to sit on the floor with them and insisted

he wanted to play too. Only Rachel was surprised.

But the pleasant evening had to come to an end. With work and school

the next day, they couldn't stay too late. As everyone retrieved

their coats, Cuddy came over. "It's traditional to give children

'gelt' or money at Chanukah" she said, handing each of the children,

including her niece, a ten dollar bill.

Somehow House's hand reached out for one too.

"Sorry, House. I'm all out," Cuddy told him. "Guess you'll just have

to wait until next year.


	89. The missing Chapter 184

__I can't believe I skipped this chapter! It should have come just before the two Chanukah ones. And since I skipped it, I'll just have to post three more on Friday.__

__Thanks again for all of the great comments. I'm glad so many people are reading and enjoying my story.__

**Chapter 184. Out of the Mouths**

One afternoon that week, Davidson walked into Cuddy's outer office wondering

why the administrator wanted to see him. Her new assistant asked "Can I help

you?"

"Dr. Cuddy is expecting me" the doctor replied.

"Oh yes," Sean said. "She's on the phone with a donor. It'll be just a few

minutes. Please have a seat. Can I get you coffee or anything?"

"Uh, no," Davidson said. "Thank you," he added as an afterthought, as he sat

gingerly on a chair.

A few minutes later, Tommy and Gretchen came through the outer door. "So what

are you going to call him?" Tommy was asking his friend.

"I don't know yet," Gretchen replied. "We haven't talked about names yet. I

can't wait until we start to shop for things for the baby!"

"Hi, Sean," they both greeted the young man sitting behind the desk.

"Hi, kids. Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked.

"Our chess club teacher Mr. Sims bailed again," Tommy explained.

Gretchen nodded. "He seems to do that every few weeks." Then she caught sight

of Davidson. She might not like him, but she'd been taught to be polite. "Hello

Dr. Davidson. Are you waiting for Dr. Cuddy?"

He nodded at her, but his face remained grim, and he didn't say anything.

"You know Tommy Wilson, don't you?" she asked.

He nodded again at a the short boy with the braces on his legs. He knew he was

Drs. Cuddy and Wilson's son. Gretchen just shrugged and went back to chatting

with Tommy and Sean.

"Sean, did you ever go on a cruise?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nope."

"Neither of us has either. We were just wondering what it would be like," she

said.

"Are you going on one?" the assistant asked.

"Mom and Dad are getting married on a ship and we're all going." Gretchen

grinned.

"It's gonna be outrageous," Tommy said. "Gretchen, I just thought of something.

We can't take the dogs!"

"I think Mom and Dad were going to ask Chase and Sully to dogsit Junior.

Maybe they'll take Albert and Carrie Ann, too."

Tommy seemed to like that idea. He knew that three of the bassets had played

together during the girls' sleepover. He hadn't really felt left out of that,

but maybe Albert did. Maybe he'd have a chance to spend a week with his sister

and brothers.

House was the next one to come through the outer doors to Cuddy's office. He

did an exaggerated double-take seeing the kids there.

"Hi Uncle Greg," Tommy said, happy to see him.

"Hi Slugger. What are you and Kvetch doing here?" House asked.

"Mr. Sims ditched chess club again," Gretchen explained again.

Tommy laughed. "I think he's embarrassed because we've all been beating him

lately."

"And this is the best place you could think of to go instead?" House asked.

"Well, we knew that Mom was busy with patients and her research and stuff, and

Tommy's dad has lots of patients, too," Gretchen replied.

"What am I, chopped liver?" he asked.

"Oh, Dad, we didn't want to bother you."

"Well, why don't I take you two to the cafeteria." He fixed

Tommy with a stare. "You're buying."

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you want to talk to Aunt Lisa?" Gretchen asked.

"It can wait." They walked off together, Gretchen holding her father's free

hand and Tommy gamely trying to stay up with them.

Davidson stared after them as they walked away, his mouth hanging open.

"Dr. Cuddy's off the phone," Sean told him. "I'll let her know you're

waiting." A minute later he said. "You can go in now."

As Davidson entered Cuddy's inner sanctum, she told him, "Please have a seat."

Once he did, she went on. "Human Resources has informed me that you filed a

harassment complaint against Clair Palmer." She sat with her elbows on her

desk and her chin resting on her clasped hands, waiting for his response.

"That's right," Davidson said indignantly. "The woman won't leave me alone."

"You do know that we can monitor the phone calls that staff make and receive,

both internally and externally," she reminded him. She let that sink in."Those records show twelve calls from your extension to hers and none from

hers to yours just in the past week. Care to explain that?"

"There must be a mistake!" But he'd blanched and looked guilty of something.

"Perhaps. Would you care to withdraw your complaint or should we investigate

further?" she offered.

Davidson realized he had to rethink his plan of attack on Clair Palmer. Was it

even worth it?

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria Tommy was asking, "Are you coming to Hanukkah dinner

tonight?"

Gretchen grinned. "Yes."

"Your dad's making latkes, right?" House wanted to know.

"I guess so," Tommy replied. "He does every year."

"You thought his Macadamia Nut Pancakes were good, wait 'til you taste those

babies," House told his daughter. They sat at a table in the half full cafeteria

eating the ice cream House had gotten for them.

"If we're going to their house tonight, why did you want to talk to Aunt Lisa?"

Gretchen asked.

He wasn't sure he should answer, but maybe these two would be a good substitute

for Cuddy. "I wanted to ask for advice."

"About what?" Tommy asked incredulously. He knew his mother knew a lot of

things, but his Uncle Greg was probably the smartest person he knew. He

couldn't imagine how his mother could give him advice.

"About what to get your Aunt Allison for Christmas," he answered the boy.

It was like a dam had burst. Both children had lots of ideas, some that even

fit what he had in mind.


	90. Chapters 187-189

__As promised, here are three chapters for your enjoyment as we count down the days to the wedding and cruise.__

__I love hearing from you, so keep those great comments comng. __

**Chapter 187. GETTING CLOSER**

Meggie's isolated virus samples that didn't match the Hong Kong

strain did match each other. Even more interesting, all of the

patients seemed to have both the Hong Kong virus and the other one

in their systems.

The next morning, Cameron heard from Dr. Sylvio. The labs at St.

Jude's had found the same thing. The flu patients were affected by

two different viruses, the Hong Kong strain and another one. Dr.

Sylvio was sending them the data on the RNA sequence of the other

one, but Cameron was already convinced it would match what they'd

decided to designate as the Brazilian strain.

This still didn't completely explain why different antibiotics worked

on different patients or even what caused the platelets to elongate.

But now that House was interested, she knew she could bounce her

ideas off of him and they'd eventually answer all the remaining

questions.

She was entering their latest data and Megan was doing the

hemaglutination inhibition tests on the new virus when House joined

them.

"Sylvio basically confirmed our findings," Cameron told him.

He nodded. One part of his mind had been thinking about all of the

implications.

"I think we need to see what we isolate from people without the flu

symptoms, but with elongated platelets."

He smiled at her. Again she was thinking along the same lines that

he was. "You mean adults who acquired immunity to the Hong Kong

strain, either by having the disease or being inoculated against

it fourteen years ago, but have that marker."

"Exactly." She smiled back.

Meggie listened as they continued their discussion. Today she was

in listening mode rather than chattering mode. Drs. Cameron and

House seemed to make similar amazing jumps in logic and connections

as they analyzed what they knew and what it meant. Now she understood

why several people had told her that House was a brilliant doctor.

By the time House left, Cameron had a new direction to go with her

research. He could tell that she was getting close to the resolution

of the flu puzzle. It was time to check in with his computer expert.

House found Beau doing his own research. The young man was quite

determined that the hospital should have the best computer system,

so he had to keep up-to-date on the newest hardware and software.

He sat at his well-equipped 'command center' reading specs and

reviews of the latest video and sound cards.

"That's totally fascinating, dude!" House's sarcastic voice

interrupted him.

"Maybe not," Beau replied. "But get a load of this!" He brought up

what looked like a lock screen with dots of many colors moving

haphazardly across a field of navy blue.

"It's a lock screen," House stated the obvious.

"Uh-uh, not really" Beau said. "Watch." He clicked on a red dot and

a video game came up. Than he closed it and clicked on a yellow dot,

bringing up a message board.

"Can it bring up any kind of file?" House asked, intrigued in spite

of himself.

"Yes. Audio, video, text, graphics, anything," Beau replied.

"Cool. How do you know what each dot will bring up?" House asked,

"Well, that's the problem. You have to program it a bit yourself,

assign each color to a different application. It's a prototype that

I'm evaluating, but there's a lot of potential," Beau concluded.

"I can see that." House filed the information away in his brain.

"But you're not here to see the latest computer gimmicks," Beau

surmised.

"No. What have you found out? Is Davidson trying to access Cameron's

files?" House finally got to the reason for his visit.

"Oh, he's trying. But Dr. Cameron is very good about protecting her

files. Besides her password, she has other protection in place,"

Beau told him.

"So that'll keep him from getting at her results." House rubbed his chin.

"Yeah, and not only that. She's a very clever woman your Dr. Cameron.

She's actually encrypted the data on her files." Beau said it with

something like awe, but House just smiled.

"What about Dr. Palmer? Has he tried to mess with any of her

records?" House asked.

"Not yet. And hers aren't as well-protected. You might want to warn

her," Beau cautioned. "I'll continue to monitor his activity, see if

he tries anything else."

"Thanks," House said, but his mind was already on what else he

could do as he headed back to his office.

**Chapter 188. LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU**

When House and Cameron arrived home that evening, they found Gretchen

already dressed in the required white blouse and black skirt for the

concert.

"How do I look?" the girl asked.

"Very nice" her mother said, smiling at the sight.

But her father wasn't so quick with the compliments. He studied her

for a full minute. "You make that boring outfit look good."

She grinned, then came over to hug him. He smoothed her silky light brown

hair with his free hand. "Let's eat," he announced.

Cameron dished out the lasagna they'd picked up on their way home and looked at

House "You don't really have to come with us. It's just

grade school kids singing and playing musical instruments, only some

of them doing it well. And we know how much you LOVE holidays," she

added facetiously.

"Well, one of the kids playing well is my daughter," he said. "I want

to be there."

Cameron realized that, not only didn't he want to be like his father,

missing the high points of his child's life, but he truly wanted to

see her perform. It was times like this when her love for him swelled

her heart.

When they arrived at the school they found Mrs. Bean and another

teacher just inside the front entrance, directing students and their

parents.

"Dr. Cameron and Dr. House, welcome." Mrs. Bean smiled in greeting.

"Gretchen, the orchestra is assembling down the hallway, just outside

the music room."

"OK." The girl waved at her parents. "See you later," she

said as she headed off.

"You can find seats in the auditorium," Mrs. Bean advised House and

Cameron. "The doors are just around the corner."

They entered the already half-full auditorium and found two aisle

seats, giving House plenty of room for his legs. They'd just settled

in when Mei Chung came over. "Dr. House, Dr. Cameron. It's good to

see you again" Nelson's mother said. "This is my husband, Hanxie."

She indicated the medium-height Chinese man with her.

"Nice to meet you," Cameron told him. "There are two seats here."

She stood to let them pass and House swung his legs into the aisle.

Mrs. Chung sat next to Cameron. "Nelson told us that your daughter

also plays the viola in the orchestra."

"Yes. And Gretchen told us that your son is very good." Cameron

said.

House felt a tap on his shoulder and heard a familiar voice say "I

didn't think you'd be here." Wilson had just sat down behind him

with Cuddy.

"I could say the same," House responded. "Tommy's not in the school

orchestra."

"No, he's the M.C." Cuddy said with a smirk that House couldn't see but could easily imagine.

At exactly 8 PM, Tommy Wilson walked to the microphone at the center

of the stage in front of the closed curtain. "Good evening everyone.

We're happy you've come here tonight to see our show," he said in a

strong, clear voice. "We hope you'll enjoy it. We'll begin with Miss

Graham's second grade class singing 'Have Yourself A Merry Little

Christmas'."

As he walked to the side of the stage, the curtains opened on twenty

children dressed in red and green. They'd obviously been practicing

and did a nice job on their song. At the end they bowed as one.

Tommy returned to the stage as the curtain closed again. He then

introduced a few more groups: ten third- and fourth-

graders, including Audra Swenson, playing 'Silver Bells' on the

bells; a kindergarten class singing 'Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer';

and six fifth-graders of several nationalities reciting a poem they'd

written about Kwanzaa.

"Now our orchestra will play a medley of holiday favorites," Tommy

announced.

House sat up more attentively. So far it hadn't been as bad as he'd

feared, but now his daughter was on the stage. She and the other

orchestra members took their places and, at the conductor's direction

began to play. Whoever had orchestrated the medley knew what they

were doing. The children, for the most part, played well. There were

a couple of solos, and parts played by small groups of students

including one featuring Gretchen and Nelson Chung on viola and

Monique Jackson and another child on violin.

When the entire orchestra played, occasionally House noticed someone

who hit a wrong note or was temporarily out of tempo. Still, for children

so young, they did admirably well, enough so that House was

impressed. They'd played winter songs, Christmas songs, even one

Chanukah song. When they finished, they were greeted with loud

applause.

The curtain closed on the orchestra, but instead of Tommy returning

to the stage, the principle, Mr. Dailey came to the microphone. He

had to raise it to speak, and when he did he gave as uninspiring a

speech as he had at the Meet the Teacher event. How did this man

run such a great school?

Finally, though, he turned the mic back to the M.C. Tommy introduced

some sixth graders who performed a shortened version of O. Henry's

'Gift of the Magi'.

They were followed by the school chorus. Amazingly, the songs they

sang were different ones from any that had already been performed.

House recognized Elizabeth Carmichael as one of the singers.

For the final number, all of the performers crowded onto the stage,

with the smaller children in front, and together they sang 'Winter

Wonderland'.

The concert was finally over. No one had done anything embarrassing,

and most of the children had performed very well indeed.

House had been ready to leave after the orchestra played but he'd

reluctantly remained in his seat. "Can we go home now?" he asked

impatiently.

"I think there are some refreshments for the students and their

parents in the cafeteria. You don't want to miss the cookies and

punch, do you?" Cameron asked with a hint of sarcasm.

**Chapter 189. LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU PART 2**

House and Cameron followed the Chungs, Wilson and Cuddy to the

cafeteria where, sure enough, cookies and punch as well as coffee

for the parents and teachers were set out on several long trestle

tables.

"What, no scotch?" House asked, feigning disappointment.

"It's a school!" Cameron replied.

House then surprised Cameron by taking a glass of the punch. In reply

to her raised eyebrows he said, "It's my favorite kind with floating

rainbow sherbet. I bet they even put ginger ale or Seven up in it."

He took a sip. "Yum!" Cameron still looked skeptical. "Well, who

knows how bad the coffee is." He helped himself to half

a dozen cookies.

Cameron noticed Mr. and Mrs. Swenson standing alone, drinking coffee.

She tapped House's arm and told him she was going over to talk to

them for a short while. He watched her for a minute before turning

to Wilson and Cuddy.

"Hello Ingrid, Mr. Swenson" Cameron said to the older couple. "Lovely

concert, wasn't it?"

Mr. Swenson harumphed. "The children should spend more time on their

lessons than on this frivolous music."

"It was holiday music, Nils," Ingrid said gently.

"Christmas music belongs in the church," he pronounced. "It's sacred."

Ingrid looked apologetic for her husband's remarks.

"Did you know that there's a strong connection between music and

mathematics?" Cameron asked rhetorically. "The children learn a lot

besides the actual music when they play an instrument or sing. They

learn discipline and teamwork, much as they do playing sports."

"Bah," was all Mr. Swenson said.

Cameron smiled resignedly at Ingrid. She realized there was no

convincing this man, and keeping with her resolve to not spend energy

on fights you couldn't win, she turned and walked back to House's

side. It would obviously take more than her persuasive skills to

change Mr. Swenson's mind about anything.

"Mom, Dad, how did we do?" an excited Gretchen came up to them with

Tommy, Nelson and Audra, who seemed to prefer being with them than

her grandparents.

"Who's the flute player?" House asked through a mouthful of cookie.

"Danny Perry," Nelson replied. "He's not very good." The boy wrinkled

his nose.

"You can say that again," House said.

"I think what he meant is that you guys did very well but Danny

didn't," Cameron attempted to interpret.

"Although I'm not sure most of the parents noticed," Mr. Chung said.

"Are you also a musician, Dr. House?"

House looked at him. "Wait. Hanxie Chung? You're not the cellist,

are you?"

Mr. Chung chuckled, then nodded.

House filed that bit of info away, then turned to his daughter."You were right about Monique."

"Yeah, she was awesome," Gretchen agreed.

"That was the black girl playing the violin?" Mr. Chung asked. "She

has a lot of talent."

"Tommy, you were a very good M.C." Mrs. Chung added.

The boy beamed, then looked up at his parents for confirmation. They

were smiling proudly.

"Everyone did very well" Cuddy said.

Mrs. Bean was ecstatic. Her students, current and past, had all done

so well. She walked around congratulating each of them and

had now reached Gretchen, Tommy, Nelson and Audra.

"I am so proud of you all!" she exclaimed. "And I can see your

parents are too."

"Does this mean we don't have to do our history assignments over the

school break?" Gretchen asked.

Mrs. Bean didn't understand why Gretchen's mother and Tommy's parents

laughed at that. "Sorry Gretchen. You still have to do them."

The girl shrugged. "I tried," she said, and Cameron, Wilson and Cuddy

laughed again.

The Carmichaels joined them and Elizabeth introduced her brother to

everyone.

"Where's your shadow?" House asked the English girl.

"Ruth doesn't participate in any after school activities," Elizabeth

answered. "Her mother's sick and she has to go home and help her."

Gretchen's forehead wrinkled. "I thought she said she had an older brother and an older sister."

"They both work after school," was Elizabeth's reply.

Why would kids living in this affluent neighborhood have to work

after school? House wondered. The puzzle of Ruth Schultz just

became a lot more interesting.


	91. Chapters 190 and 191

__The wedding and cruise are getting closer, and so is Christmas. __

__I've been thrilled with all the comments lately. Thank you all! __

**Chapter 190. WELL YOU KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO BE ALRIGHT WHEN WE GO**

**SHOPPING**

On Saturday Cameron and Gretchen met Clair, Emily, Cuddy and Nancy

at a department store in downtown Princeton. Clair insisted that

Cameron go straight to the bridal department.

"I'm beginning to reconsider House's idea," Cameron said.

"There's nothing romantic about a lab coat," Cuddy insisted.

"But it can be very sexy with nothing on underneath." Cameron smiled slyly.

A chorus of "Allison!"s from the women led her to finally agree to

at least look at bridal gowns.

"You do know I've been married twice before." Cameron made a last

ditch effort. "I've done the gown and veil thing."

The array of gowns hanging on the racks was staggering. Cameron

sighed in resignation and began to look through them.

"How about this one?" Nancy asked, holding up a simple fitted sheath

with bows at the shoulders.

"Hmmmm," Cameron said, completely unenthused.

"I like this one." Gretchen pulled out one similar to the dress

Sully had worn for her wedding. But Cameron's figure was completely

different.

Clair found an off-white satin number with seed pearls all over the

bodice.

"I guess I can try it on," Cameron agreed.

Meanwhile, Cuddy had found a strapless dress with a completely bare

back. Cameron had to smile. She knew House would like that one -

plenty of skin.

Then Emily tapped Cameron's arm. "Aunt Allie. I think this one would

be perfect." There was something nautical about the dress. Maybe it

was the flaps over the top of the strapless bodice that looked like

the collar of a sailors uniform complete with a sash underneath it

that knotted in the center with two wide ribbons hanging down, and

the band under the bust line with chevrons embroidered along it. The

A-line skirt looked comfortable, too. Cameron saw the others nod at

Emily's choice and went to try it on.

It fit perfectly. The smiles on everyone's faces when they saw her

in it convinced Cameron. This was the dress.

Soon after Cameron and Gretchen left, House picked up the phone and,

checking their phone contact list, punched in the number for Rudy

Hathaway.

Seeing the caller ID, the contractor answered pleasantly, "Dr.

Cameron, how can I help you now?"

"Do I sound like Dr. Cameron?" House asked.

Rudy wondered why Dr. House was calling. He knew the work he was

planning with Dr. Cameron was supposed to be a surprise for him. Rudy cleared his throat. "Uh, how can I help you, Dr. House?"

"There's some remodeling I'd like done in the house between Christmas

and New Year's Eve. You do work on other things besides kitchens,

don't you?" House began.

"Well, uh, yes. But this is kind of short notice. I'm really not sure

I'd have the time," Rudy said, especially if he was doing the work

Dr. Cameron wanted. Still, it would be in the same house. "What did

you have in mind?"

House proceeded to tell him in detail. As the dollar signs passed

before his eyes, Rudy thought about how he could do both jobs at

once. "I may actually be able to do that. I could have the initial

plans drawn up by late tomorrow."

They left it at that, both men very pleased.

"Now, I've got to get Gretchen some clothes for the cruise. I don't

think any of her summer things fit anymore," Cameron told the others

after she'd purchased her dress.

"Em needs a new bathing suit and shorts, too," Clair agreed.

"I think I'll look for a bathing suit myself," Nancy said.

Cuddy nodded. "I'll go with you. We'll meet you in the shoe

department in about an hour," she told Cameron and Clair.

The two girls and their mothers headed for the girls' department.

But it was winter, and the selection of summer clothes was sparse.

"You can try the sporting goods department." A helpful saleswoman

pointed off to her left, so off they went.

On the way, Gretchen spotted a display of video games. "What are we

going to get Dad for Christmas?" she asked her mother. She had some

idea of what he was getting her mom, but not what Mom had in

mind.

"I've already arranged for his main present, but I think we can get

him some other things," Cameron answered.

"Oh, what are you getting him?" Gretchen wanted, no needed, to know.

"You'll see." Her mother flashed a secretive smile.

"Maybe we should get him something for the trip." Gretchen's mouth twisted the way her father's did when he was puzzling something out.

"That's a good idea. We probably all need some things for the theme

nights on the ship."

"Yes, I was reading about those." Clair smiled. "This is going to be

so much fun!"

They'd reached the sporting goods department. There were indeed

several racks of bathing suits for children and adults. While the

two girls were trying some on, Cuddy and Nancy joined them.

"I see we wound up in the same place after all." Cuddy started going through the women's rack.

A couple of hours later, they were all shopped out. As they left the

store you could hear all six females singing:

Oh, it's never enough until you've got all the stuff

When the going gets rough just shop with somebody tough

Well you know that it's going to be all right

I think it's gonna be all right

Everything will always be all right

When we go shopping

**Chapter 191. I WISH YOU WELL**

House entered the main labs the next morning and saw that Clair was

not in her office.

"Hi House." Marty called out to him as House stood in Clair's doorway

staring at her empty chair.

"Your boss around somewhere?" House asked.

"She should be back soon." Marty was curious about why

House was looking for her, but knew not to ask. "We're all looking

forward to your wedding and the cruise." He thought

it was a safe thing to say.

House didn't respond. He just stood there tapping his cane.

Five minutes later Clair breezed in. "Hi House." She was obviously

surprised to see the diagnostician.

"Clair, I came to ask you something."

"Sure. Come into my office and we can sit." She led the way. Once

they were both comfortable she asked, "What do you want to know?"

"I need some suggestions for Christmas gifts for Cameron and Gretchen

and thought you might have some." Of course, he already had

bought or arranged all of their gifts, but he needed an opening

gambit.

"Cutting it close, aren't you?" she said with a smile. It was the

24th. She suspected he had another reason to talk to her. "You just

want to know if I know what they're getting you," she guessed.

He stared at her a minute, then abruptly smiled. "You got me." Better

to cop to this then let her suspect why he was really there. And

there was a bit of truth in her guess.

"Well, I only know about the few things they bought last night. And I've been sworn to secrecy on those."

"Not even a hint?" he cajoled.

She smirked.

"I guess I can check her computer, see what she's ordered," he mused

absent-mindedly, or so he'd have Clair believe.

"Doesn't she have her files protected?" Clair asked.

"It doesn't take much to get past what most people think of as file

protection." House carefully watching her reaction.

"You mean we need more than passwords and setting permissions," she said.

House nodded. "Wouldn't want prying eyes to see what they shouldn't."

He left her on that line, but thought he'd done what he needed to do.

Cameron was typing up instructions for Meggie for what needed to be

done while she was away when she heard a familiar voice. "Cameron,

there you are." She removed her glasses and looked up to see Foreman

standing in the doorway to her lab.

"Hi Foreman." She smiled at him.

"I, um, I came by to wish you the best," he said. "There are still

some things I have a hard time saying to House." He shook his head

as he chuckled to himself, then paused to gather his thoughts.

"You were right all those years ago. He may seem like the worst kind

of jerk, but he's really one of the good guys. And the two of you

are good together."

"Oh, Eric. That's sweet! I realize now that neither

of us was ready back then for what we have now. We were both too

damaged, too immature, and much too defensive for it to have worked.

But we've changed and I think, no I know we have a chance."

He walked over and hugged her. "All I wish is that the two of you are

as happy as Dana and I are." She hugged her friend back. "Who would've thunk it? All of us married or about to be?"

"I have to say something else. You were wrong when you

told me that in ten years we'd completely lose touch with each other.

All that we went through created a bond that's not that easy to

break."

"I'm not even going to try to predict the future." Foreman

chuckled again.

"I'll make you a deal," Cameron told him. "Ten years from today, let's

do this again."

"Deal." He grinned.

House was surprised to see Sully in the conference room when he

returned to his office, feeling like he'd already accomplished a

good day's work. They'd released their most recent patient the day

before, so they didn't have one.

"When will you be bringing the dog over?" Sully asked him as he

stepped in to get a cup of coffee.

"We'll be flying down to Florida the day before the cruise leaves.

Our flight's at noon, I think," he said. "Guess we'll drop him off on

our way to the airport." He looked at her as something occurred to

him. "We never thought about asking you two to come along."

She smiled. "Hey, someone has to hold down the fort, watch the dogs.

Really, Rob and I just want you to have a good time."

On impulse, she put her arms around him, stretching up on tiptoe to

hug him. "You and Dr. Cameron deserve a wonderful life together."

House wasn't sure what to do. He reflected back on a hug her husband

had given him so many years earlier. But this time he actually hugged

back.

_The shopping song may not be familiar to you, but it's one of my favorites from the Canadian group Bare-Naked Ladies._


	92. Chapters 192 and 193

__It's Christmas day, time for an exchange of gifts, only to be followed by the upcoming wedding and cruise. __

__Your comments are the best gift I can receive.__

**Chapter 192. CHRISTMAS AT THE HOUSE HOUSE**

"Good morning," Cameron murmured as she planted a sloppy kiss on

House's bristly cheek. "Merry Christmas."

He forced his eyes open to take in the sight of her beautiful face,

inches away from his.

"You are so much more fun than an alarm clock." He wound his

long arms around her.

She bubbled with laughter, obviously in a good mood. "We'd better get

up soon. Gretchen won't open her presents until we're there to open

ours."

"And I thought you were my present." He leered at her.

"You get to unwrap this one last," she said with a responding smirk.

She tried to pull away, but he held her tighter.

"Not so fast, my pretty," he said. She gave in only because she was

weak, at least as far as he was concerned. The last thing she said

before completely engulfing his lips with hers was, "I just don't want

her to have to wait too long."

An hour later, Cameron emerged from their bedroom dressed in jeans

and a sweatshirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and looking

half her 41 years. She sat down on the couch in the family room

where Gretchen was sitting with Junior, reading a book on her palm

reader and studiously ignoring the pile of presents in front of the

holly-trimmed fireplace. House came in soon after in his usual jeans

and T-shirt.

"Morning sweetheart," Cameron said. "Ready to open some presents?"

She'd been ready for HOURS, OK, maybe only one hour. Her father

seemed ready, too. He was looking through the presents for one with

his name on it and Gretchen realized he didn't know their traditions,

the way she and her mother had always opened gifts on Christmas

morning.

"Mom and I used to take turns," she told him, then hurriedly added,

"But we can start a new tradition if you want."

He looked at her expectant face. "Nah, however you guys did it is

fine." After all, when was the last time he had spent a Christmas

morning opening presents? If ever. "Why don't you go first."

"I'll go make coffee while you're choosing one. Do you want milk or

juice, Sweetie?" Cameron got up from the couch and headed for the

kitchen.

Gretchen's first choice was a small square package. She unwrapped it

carefully, just like her mother might, as House stared at her to see

her reaction.

"My own Game Cube!" She practically burst with excitement. "Oh, thank

you, thank you!"

"There's something with it," her father pointed out. Sure enough,

wrapped with it was a 'Bots and Bunnies game disc.

Gretchen was very happy. She hugged House and he hugged her back,

thinking once more how great a feeling it was to make his girls

happy.

Cameron came back with two cups of coffee, a glass of orange juice,

and a plate of leftover pizza slices. Opening presents was a hungry job.

"Mom, look what I got!" Gretchen exclaimed.

Cameron smiled at House. "Why don't you go next," she told him.

He didn't need any more prompting. He picked up the largest box with

his name on it and ripped off the wrapping paper to uncover a

department store box. He opened it and pulled out a fringed leather

vest. He looked at Cameron like she was crazy. "I thought you wore

the vests in this family."

"It's for the Country and Western night on the ship. There's more."

She indicated he should dig dipper into the box.

Next he found a bolo tie. He rolled his eyes but had to laugh. And

then there were a set of chaps. "You honestly expect me to wear this

getup?"

"Hey, where's your sense of fun?" she countered. "Actually, if you

were to wear just that..." She wriggled her eyebrows.

He laughed again. "OK, your turn."

Cameron had a hard time deciding, but eventually selected the

smallest of her gifts. She unwrapped a jeweler's box. Inside was an

old-fashioned locket on a chain.

"Open it," Gretchen encouraged her.

A picture of Gretchen filled one side and there was a folded piece

of paper in the other. Cameron unfolded the piece of paper. It said

'Space Reserved for Baby Boy House'. She sniffed back a tear.

"Well, we couldn't put his name because we didn't pick one yet,"

Gretchen said. Her mother smiled at her, then asked House to help her

put it on.

It was Gretchen's turn again. But the next thing she unwrapped really

puzzled her. It was a package of paper plates and one of plastic

forks. She looked from her mother, who shrugged and shook her head,

to her father. "Read the card."

Sure enough, there was a card that read 'To be used for your new

restaurant-style booth.' Her father remembered! She looked at him,

though, for further explanation.

"They're building one on the patio out back while we're gone, and

they're putting a pergola over it. It'll be redwood with waterproof

cushions."

Gretchen's eyes couldn't get any bigger and her mouth didn't know

whether to smile or form a great big 'O'. Cameron smiled at them

both.

"Now me." House put down his coffee mug and looking through

the dwindling stack of packages for another one. This time he opened

a package that puzzled him almost as much as the last one puzzled

Gretchen. A loofah and some bath oils. He shrugged and opened the

card that was with them. 'For our new Jacuzzi tub.' His smile started

small but grew as he thought how much fun it was going to be to use

this present.

Then Cameron opened an odd-shaped package to reveal a cast iron

broom and shovel. She wasn't so much puzzled as wary. She opened the

card. 'For our new bedroom fireplace' was written in House's familiar

scrawl. She smiled but looked at House for explanation.

"The bedroom wall backs on the wall with the living room fireplace,

so they're going to replace it with a two-sided one" he said.

"Something to cuddle in front of on cold winter nights." She grinned.

In the next round, Gretchen found a new school pouch from her mother,

one of the latest kind with lots of pockets and zippers. Then House

opened a video game from Gretchen, a brand new one he'd only read

about but never seen. And Cameron opened a lingerie box containing

a purple satin teddy, very tasteful, almost elegant. Gretchen had

made both of her parents scarves ("Mrs. Nayar showed me how," she

told them) and they'd gotten her a viola ("Outrageous!"). They

continued opening gifts until there were none left.

"This was the best Christmas ever!" Gretchen exclaimed.

"You can say that again," her father said.

"This was the best Christmas ever!" Gretchen exclaimed once more.

taking her father literally like her mother used to do.

**Chapter 193. HELLO MUDDAH, HELLO FADDUH**

House, Cameron and Gretchen flew down to Florida with Wilson,

Cuddy and Tommy on Christmas day. Clair, Emily, Marty and Nancy were taking a later flight, and Bonnie and her family would be arriving soon, too.

House and Wilson went to check on the transportation to the ship

for the next morning. Cameron and Gretchen were examining the

amenities in their hotel suite when they heard a knock at the door.

"Maybe it's Aunt Lisa and Tommy," Gretchen guessed. Their room was

next door.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," her mother replied as she

opened the door.

There stood John and Blythe House. Cameron was startled into silence.

When she regained her composure, she said, "Hello, we didn't expect

to see you." Her smile was directed towards her future mother-in-law.

"We couldn't let you leave without coming to wish you all the best,"

Blythe said, but her husband's frown indicated that he thought no

such thing.

Gretchen came over and stood next to Cameron. Blythe's smile widened when she saw the girl.

"Hi Grandmother, Grandfather. I thought you weren't coming with us."

"Oh, we're not dear," Blythe explained. "But we decided to take a

drive down from Pensacola."

"That's right," Cameron said. "You were visiting friends there." She

knew it wasn't just around the corner. It may have been in the same

state but that was quite a drive. "Please come in."

Blythe didn't say that it was their friends who had shamed John into

taking the drive down. "Our friends, Jerry and Helen Rockland, wanted

to come down here anyway," she said instead. "We actually had no idea

how to find you, but as luck would have it, when we checked into the

hotel with our friends, they confused our reservation with yours,"

Blythe told her. "Then the clerk realized you'd already checked in

and there were two reservations under the name 'House'." She began to

open her large purse, then pulled out a box. "Before I forget,

Gregory's grandmother gave this to me when I married her son. I want

you to have it."

Cameron opened the box to reveal an old-fashioned broach. "It's

exquisite!" she exclaimed. "Thank you. I'll treasure it."

Colonel House hadn't said a word, just stood there scowling, a scowl

not unlike the kind Cameron used to see on House's face in the past

but only occasionally in recent times.

"Greg should be back soon. He's checking on the shuttle bus to the

ship. He'll be so happy you came."

John finally decided to say something. "So you got my son to knock

you up again? Is that why you're getting married?"

Cameron wasn't as shocked by his accusation as she might have been.

"Colonel, Greg and I have been engaged since September. Yes, I am

pregnant." She had to smile. "But that came later. We'd been

engaged for almost a month before I conceived. It's almost certainly

a boy this time. And we're getting married because we love each

other."

Gretchen had been listening to her mother and grandfather. She didn't

like her grandfather's tone or the looks he was giving her mother.

"I told you my mother and father love each other" she reminded him

more angrily than she'd intended.

"Well, you and my son deserve each other." John ignored his

granddaughter. "C'mon Blythe. You've said your piece. We're going.

We have to meet our friends for dinner."

"Not for a while yet, John. I want to talk to my granddaughter and

wait and see Greg."

"Suit yourself." He headed for the door. But before he got there

House opened it and walked in, surprised to find his parents there.

"You're as weak as ever," John accused him as he continued out the

door.

"What'd he say?" House asked the women.

"Nothing important," Cameron assured him.

"Mom told him off." Gretchen grinned at her Dad.

Blythe sighed. "I just wanted to come and tell you we wish you all

the best. Your father wants the best for you too."

"My father wants me to be something I'm not," House said. "It's time

he faced the fact that I never will be."

"Oh, Gregory," his mother said. But there really wasn't anything else

to say. She sighed again. "Dr. Cameron told us that you're having

another child." She tried to smile.

"It's Allison," Cameron reminded her.

House finally smiled at them both. "A boy."

"When?" Blythe asked.

"June," House, Cameron and Gretchen replied in unison.

"That's wonderful!" Blythe was honestly pleased. "And Gretchen, dear

how is your new school?"

They continued talking about pleasant topics for some time.

Meanwhile, John House sat in an arm chair in the hotel lobby

near the check-in desk, stewing over the mess he thought his son had

made of his life. He heard a couple ask the desk clerk for the room

for Doctors House and Cameron. They were younger than he and his

wife. Hell, 90% of the population was younger than they were. The

man looked familiar somehow.

"I can't give out that information," the clerk told them. "Do you want

me to call their room?"

"Oh, no. We wanted it to be a surprise. I guess we'll have to wait for them to come down, Cheryl."

"You just missed Dr. House," the clerk called after them as they

walked away.

"Figures," Cheryl said.

Suddenly, John stood up in front of them. "If you're looking for my

worthless son and that tramp he's living with, they're in Room 632

with that mouthy daughter of theirs," he spat out.

"My daughter is not a tramp," Cheryl responded, just as belligerently.

Butch watched them, his mouth open, thinking what he wouldn't give

for Allison to hear her mother.

"My son may be a weakling and lazy as all get out, but she's trapped

him into marrying her this time!" John shouted.

"Your son is a rude and vulgar man, not to mention completely

irresponsible!" she replied.

Just then Blythe got off the elevator and stopped dead when she saw

her husband and a woman shouting at each other.

"John, what's going on?" she asked. But he didn't hear her, or maybe

he was just ignoring her.

Butch approached her. "Mrs. House? I'm Butch Cameron, Allison's

father."

That got John's attention. "Butch Cameron? THE Butch Cameron? That's why you looked familiar!"

"Butch, did you hear the things he's been saying about Allison?

And Gretchen?" Cheryl asked.

"Yes, and I also heard what you both said about House," Butch said. He

shook his head.

"John, I've just had such a nice talk with Greg, Allison and

Gretchen," Blythe tried to tell her husband. "They are doing such a

good job of raising their daughter. You should have stayed."

"Bah! You women get so sentimental about weddings and children," John

said.

Blythe turned to Butch and Cheryl. "They'll be so happy to see you.

Are you going on the cruise?"

"Us?" Cheryl said, as if she couldn't believe anyone would expect

her to go. "No, no. We just flew down to see them off and wish them

well."

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I'm Blythe House by the way." She held out a hand.

Butch shook her outstretched hand. "This is my wife Cheryl," he told

her.

"I'm sure we'll see you again since we have a granddaughter and,

before long, a grandson in common," Blythe said.

"Grandson?" Cheryl asked.

"Your daughter did tell you it was a boy, didn't she?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Cheryl said, trying not to let it appear that

her daughter never told her anything. Her husband was giving her a

look that said 'Get yourself out of this one.' "Well, we'll head on

up, then," Cheryl went on. "Room 632 you said?"

Both John and Blythe nodded, and Butch and Cheryl headed to the

elevators.


	93. Chapters 194 and 195

__Are you ready for a wedding? Well, first there's the matter another visit from a set of parents, and a night-before dinner.__

__I'm thrilled to continue to add readers. Thanks for making this a favorite. And thanks to all who've been commenting. __

**Chapter 194. HELLO MUDDAH, HELLO FADDUH - redux**

"Why can't Grandfather House be like Grandfather Cameron, and

Grandmother Cameron be like Grandmother House?" Gretchen asked

her parents when there was a knock at the door.

Thinking that his mother had returned, House opened it to find

Gretchen's Cameron grandparents there instead. "Not who I was

expecting."

Butch smirked at him. "Hello to you, too, House."

"This place is becoming like Grand Central Station," House remarked,

then grudgingly added, "C'mon in." He walked back to the couch where

he'd been sitting. He couldn't let on that he was glad to see Allie's

father.

But somehow Butch understood. He walked in, then over to his older

daughter to hug her. "Congratulations, honey."

"You're supposed to congratulate the groom," House pointed out.

"I didn't think you'd want a hug," Butch countered.

"Hi Grandpa." Gretchen grinned at him.

"You get prettier every day," Butch said, smiling back.

"Yes, you do." Cheryl surprised everyone, including herself.

"Hello Grandmother," Gretchen said. "Did you change your mind about

coming with us?" She sounded almost hopeful that they had.

"No, dear." Butch had convinced her to come all this way

to see them off, and a part of her really wanted to see her daughter

married, even if it was to this irritating man. Then Cheryl spoiled the

goodwill she'd created by asking, "So who's going to give the bride

away instead of her father?"

"I am," Gretchen said proudly. They'd agreed it was actually

appropriate under the circumstances.

Her reply surprised Cheryl so much that she needed to rethink what

else she wanted to say. Meanwhile her husband changed the subject.

"We met your parents downstairs, House."

"Your father is definitely a piece of work," Cheryl said. "Now I see

where you get it from."

Butch rolled his eyes at her. "Allison, you should have heard your

mother defend you and Gretchen."

Ignoring her husband's compliment, Cheryl plowed ahead. "You never

told us the baby was a boy."

"Mom, we just found out ourselves," Cameron said. "And it's only a

high probability that it's a boy. We'll know for certain in a couple

of months."

Luckily, before things escalated, the phone rang and Cameron picked

it up. "Bonnie! You're here!" she exclaimed. "You'll never guess who

else is here!"

"Allison, we'd like to take you all to dinner," Butch called to her.

"Tell Bonnie we'll meet her in the hotel restaurant at seven."

"Bonnie, did you hear that?" Cameron said into the phone.

"Yes," her sister replied. "Frankly, I'm amazed Mom agreed to come."

"They're still not coming on the ship. We'll see you in..." She looked

at her watch. "...About forty-five minutes."

At seven, the Cameron family, House, Allison and Gretchen entered

the hotel restaurant. Wilson had called just after Bonnie to invite

the bride, groom and their daughter to have dinner with them but

Cameron explained they'd be having dinner with her parents, who'd

surprised them by flying down. Sure enough, the Wilson brothers,

Cuddy, Tommy, Nancy, Clair and Emily were already sitting at a table

not far from the one where they were seated.

In the interest of peace, House sat as far from Cheryl as possible.

Gretchen insisted on taking her cousins over to meet her friends.

The five children would be spending the next week together and what

better time for them to meet? Meanwhile, Wilson and Cuddy came over

to meet Cameron's family.

"Jimmy, Lisa, meet my parents, my sister and brother-in-law."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Cuddy held out a hand to Cheryl first.

Cheryl hesitated but at a nod from her husband, she took it.

Wilson was obviously awed at actually meeting Butch. "Thanks for giving House the autographed photo."

"My pleasure."

They returned to their table and Cheryl couldn't wait to ask, "That woman runs a hospital?"

"And a medical school." Cameron smiled at her mother's incredulity.

It was hard to tell whether Cheryl was impressed or dismayed. The

children returned and they all ordered their meals.

Soon after, John and Blythe entered the restaurant with their friends. Blythe waved at her son, Cameron and the others, but John ignored them.

"Is that Gregory?" John's friend Jerry asked. "I never would have

recognized him."

"Which one is his bride-to-be?" Jerry's wife, Helen, asked.

"The woman with the long hair. And the girl's our granddaughter

Gretchen," Blythe said proudly.

"Very pretty," Helen said, as they followed the hostess to their

table on the other side of the room.

After they'd ordered, Blythe told Helen, "Come over with me and I'll

introduce you." The two women stood.

"John, aren't you coming over to say hello?" Jerry asked, as he, too,

rose.

John glared at him so Jerry followed the women over. Blythe was

introducing Helen and Cameron was introducing her sister, brother-in-

law, and nephews when he arrived.

"I was telling your father that it's been a long time since I've seen

you, Greg," Jerry said.

Seeing the man, House did remember him. In fact, he was one of the

very few of his father's friends he could tolerate. "Yes, it has"

House said. "Last time was in China."

"You wanted so much to learn Chinese," Jerry said. "And your father

could never understand why."

House just nodded. His mother repeated the introductions.

"Allison was just telling us that they video the wedding ceremony,"

Butch told Blythe, Helen and Jerry. "We can arrange to watch it

here."

"Oh! What a wonderful idea!" Blythe said. Then she realized her

husband probably wouldn't think so.

"I'd love to watch with you," Helen said and Jerry added "Don't worry,

Blythe. We'll convince John. And even if we don't, we'll watch it

without him."

They could see that their food was being served. "Good to see you

again, Greg," Jerry said. "Congratulations. Nice to meet you all."

He walked Blythe and Helen back to their table.

Butch picked that moment to lift his glass of wine. "I'd like to

propose a toast to my daughter Allison and her groom. House, I know

you'll take good care of my daughter, and my granddaughter." He

grinned as he finished "and my grandson."

**Chapter 195. ANOTHER BRIDE, ANOTHER GROOM**

The next morning, bright and early, that is 9 AM which was early for

House, after a room service breakfast, House, Cameron and Gretchen

joined the wedding guests on a shuttle that would take them to the

newly refurbished Caribbean Princess.

Once they arrived they were shown to their rooms. They'd booked four

suites on the same deck to accommodate them all. Each was beautifully

furnished with a queen-sized bed in one room and a second room with

a convertible double sofa bed, a private balcony, dining area, a

private bathroom with whirlpool tub and a walk-in closet, a wet bar,

two TVs, personal computer, safe, phone, and hair dryer.

The wedding arranger soon knocked on House and Cameron's door to take

them to the chapel and discuss the wedding arrangements.

"The ship provides fresh floral arrangements for the chapel, and a

bouquet of a dozen roses and a boutonniere," she told them as they

followed her through the enormous ship.

"The chapel is candle-lit during the ceremony. A pianist provides

live music and one of the ship's photographers will take pictures

for your keepsake album." She led them to the chapel.

"Our captain will perform the ceremony. Will there be any

attendants?" she asked.

House and Cameron looked at each other. In a way all of their guests

were their attendants, but they wanted to keep everything simple so

Cameron said, "No. Our daughter will walk me down the aisle." So why was she getting butterflies in her stomach? She knew it wasn't the baby.

House looked around the chapel but was at a loss for something to

say. He couldn't have said it anyway, his throat was completely dry

and constricted. In just a few hours he was getting married.

As they returned to their room, they met everyone else ready to

explore the ship. It was amazing how much there was to do on board.

Four pools, a jogging track, a putting course and miniature golf,

an Internet cafe, a 13,500 foot casino, a virtual reality center and

ride simulator, extensive child centers - not to mention several

restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and cafes.

"Are you sure we can do everything in one week?" Wilson quipped.

"Especially if we go shopping and sightseeing at some of the islands

we stop at," his wife said.

When they reached the 24-hour pizzeria, they had to stop to eat. The

kids, including the really tall one, insisted on it. They decided

it measured up pretty well with East coast pizza as well as Chicago

style.

Around 4 PM they all returned to their rooms to dress for the

wedding. Gretchen had insisted on wearing the lavender dress she'd

gotten for Chase and Sully's wedding because she loved it so much.

She looked so good in it that her parents didn't object.

At 5 PM in the chapel of the Caribbean Princess, Gregory James

House and Allison Heather Cameron pledged to love, honor, cherish

and support each other in sickness and in health until death. The

bride looked more beautiful than ever in her strapless 'nautical'

wedding gown, her new locket resting against her bare skin. The groom

looked as handsome as ever, although no one but his new wife and

daughter understood why he was wearing a bolo tie with his tux.

To an outsider, it was just a wedding between a good-looking middle-

aged man and a lovely, somewhat younger woman. But those who knew

House and Cameron, it was a union a long time in the making. Cuddy,

Clair, Nancy and Bonnie didn't hide the tears that came to their

eyes. The men and the children all had goofy grins on their faces.

And the bride and groom? Well, let's just say they were in heaven,

all of the nervousness from earlier in the day completely gone.

So much love was evident in their eyes when they looked at each other

and when they kissed, they could have set the world on fire.


	94. Chapters 196 and 197

__Hope you're all set for a sea cruise. And it's not my fault if anyone gets seasick.__

__I'll be posting the last three chapters of this story on Monday. Thanks for reading or rereading this story. I love all of you!__

**Chapter 196. COME SAIL AWAY**

Cameron woke the next morning at ten. Her sense of well-being was

overwhelming. Somehow actually being married had energized her

husband. Her husband. Just the thought made her grin.

She glanced over at the still-sleeping man she loved more than she

ever had, and that's saying a lot. They'd spent the night making love

with intervals of just lying in each others arms, content with only

that contact of skin to skin.

An eyelid opened, then the other revealing the sparkling blue orbs

that were his eyes. "And how is my beautiful and sexy wife this

morning?" he drawled.

"How do you think?" she countered, the grin never leaving her face.

"More important, how is my handsome and sexy husband?"

"You sure make me feel handsome and sexy. Have I worn you

out yet?"

"Me? What about you? You were definitely on your game last night."

She chuckled. "Actually, I was thinking we could try out the

whirlpool in our suite this morning," she said.

His nod was almost imperceptible, but she knew he liked the idea.

"But first..." He pulled her closer and nuzzled her hair. "Thank you

Allison for loving me, for marrying me, for giving me hope for a

future."

The day would be spent at sea. They wouldn't reach a port for another

day. The five children wanted to swim in the largest outdoor pool

and Wilson, Cuddy, Bonnie, Billy and Clair were happy to take them,

leaving the newlyweds to have a bit of alone time.

"They've been living together for months," Wilson said. "You'd think

they'd gotten it out of their systems by now."

His wife smirked at him. He should know better.

The kids were all good swimmers and had a fantastic time.

Bonnie and Billy were amazed at how well Tommy did in the water.

"His favorite therapy has always been swimming," Cuddy explained. "We

had a pool put in at home so that, in the warm weather at least, he

can be out there everyday."

But after a while, the three nine-year-olds got out of the pool and

commandeered three adjacent lounge chairs. The adults were sitting

not far away. Every once in a while Bonnie and Billy jumped into the

pool to join their boys.

Marty and Nancy came out and joined Cuddy, Wilson and Clair. Gretchen

noticed the look on Marty's face when Nancy removed her cover-up. Her

new bathing suit showed off the great figure she normally kept hidden

under loose clothes and her lab coat.

"I guess we did good with Marty and Nancy." Gretchen grinned.

Tommy and Emily looked over to see Marty and Nancy slip into the

water together, smiling at each other. Tommy seemed happy to see

that, but Em was frowning.

"What's wrong Em?" Tommy asked.

The blond girl shrugged. "All the adults are paired up except my mom.

When is she gonna find someone?"

"Maybe she'll meet someone on the ship," Gretchen said. But that

didn't seem to satisfy her friend. "Well, I'm glad she's not dating

that despicable Dr. Davidson anymore."

Tommy and Emily both agreed with that.

"Maybe we can get Aunt Clair together with someone else, someone nice,"

Tommy suggested. He was beginning to catch on to the girls matchmaking inclinations.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Emily asked.

The boy shook his head, but Gretchen began "Wellll..."

"Gretchen, tell us what you're thinking!" Emily demanded.

"How about Dr. Billings? You know, the other doctor in my mom's

department. He's nice."

"Scott's father?" Emily said as if she had never thought about it

before, but now that she did, she began to smile.

"I forgot that you told us how Scott helped you at G and G," Tommy

said. The three amigos looked at each other. Seemed like they had

the beginning of a new plan. Then they decided they'd been lounging

long enough and got back into the pool.

Marty and Nancy watched the five children swimming nearby.

"Did you ever think you'd want kids?" Marty asked innocently.

Nancy hesitated, then shrugged. "I'm too old to start now."

"You're younger than Cameron," Marty pointed out.

Nancy sighed. Should she tell him? What difference did it make?

"Marty, I can't have kids." There, it was out.

"Oh." He sounded disappointed.

Well, now that she told him, how much should she explain? She looked

down into the clear blue water, deliberating. Then she looked up, and

spoke in a shaky voice. "I told you about my daughter, right? A couple of years after she died, I had an abortion. It was botched so badly that I...I can conceive, but I can't carry a child."

Marty nodded in understanding, and vowed to himself to never bring

the subject up again.

**Chapter 197. SEA FOOD**

House and Cameron finally emerged from their stateroom around two

that afternoon, looking for something to eat. If you can't find

food on a cruise ship, you aren't looking very hard. They were

headed to the outdoor hamburger grill when they saw the men and

children going in the opposite direction. Their daughter came running

up to them.

"There you guys are!" she exclaimed.

"We're going to get some burgers and fries," her father told her.

"Well, I am. Your mother will probably get a salad." He rolled his

eyes.

"I think I've worked up enough of an appetite for a burger myself,"

Cameron stated.

"Would it be OK if I came with you?" Gretchen asked meekly.

"Of course you can, Sweetie," Cameron replied.

"Why wouldn't it be OK?" her father asked.

"Well, because you're sort of on your honeymoon." The girl looked

up at him.

"There's nothing 'sort of' about it, but that doesn't mean you can't

come eat with us," he said.

Cameron hugged her daughter. "I've missed you."

"So, now that we've got that stuff out of the way, I'm starving,"

House said.

They found the grill and ordered hamburgers and fries all around.

"I'd like a chocolate milk shake," Cameron told their waiter, a slim

young man named Quentin.

"Man, you're living dangerously!" House quipped.

"Dr. Ziegler said I should drink more milk," Cameron said, defending

her choice.

"Can I have one too?" Gretchen asked.

"Make that three," House told Quentin.

Before long they had their food and shakes. "So where were you going

with the guys and munchkins?" House asked his daughter around a mouth

full of fries.

"We were going to play miniature golf," she said. "Mom, do you want

your cherry tomato?" She knew her mother never ate them.

"You'd better take it fast before your father steals it," Cameron

told her. "Where are all the women?"

"Oh, they went to get pedicures." Now it was Gretchen's turn to roll

her eyes. But her mother's eyes lit up at the idea and rather

uncharacteristically House noticed.

"Wanna go join them?" he asked, stealing some of her fries. If he

couldn't have her tomato, it was the next best thing.

"Oh, I really shouldn't leave you," Cameron said.

"Why not? I think I can handle a couple of hours without you as long

as I know you'll be with me for the rest of my life," he said

nonchalantly.

She stared at him. Where did that come from? "OK." She shruged.

She finished her burger, slurped down the rest of her shake,

and dumped the rest of her fries on his plate before standing,

kissing him soundly, then kissing the top of her daughters head and

walking off.

House watched her go then turned to his daughter. "So, Kiddo, should

we join the golfers?" he asked.

"I think I'd rather go play the virtual reality games," she said,

hoping he'd agree.

"You really are my daughter," he said, swallowing the last of his

food and getting up with the aid of his cane. "Let's go, Miss House."

That evening all of them had dinner together. It was Caribbean Night

and the appetizers, soups and entrees were based on native dishes

from various islands, mostly fish and seafood. In addition, grilled

chicken and steaks were always available. Everything was delicious,

or maybe the sea air gave them all a good appetite. They had an

enjoyable time eating and chatting. Everyone was very relaxed. But

the evening was not over yet.

After dinner they'd arranged to get tickets to enjoy the Movies under

the Stars. A 300-square-foot LED screen with 69,000 Watt stereo

system above the main pool deck was used for movies day and night,

as well as for televised sporting events. In the evening, the

lounges they'd used during the day around the pool, were arranged in

rows and covered with special burgundy covers. Bar service was

available, along with pizza and burgers from the outdoor grill.

But more important, a ticket to the Movies came complete with popcorn

and Jimmy snacks.

"Why do they call them Jimmy snacks?" Tommy asked, wondering if in

some strange way they had something to do with his father.

Wilson shrugged, but House replied, "You're too young to know." It

was obvious that was all he was going to say. At least for now.

__I don't know whether any of you were around the original Fox site, and remember Jimmy snacks. I'd forgotten there was a reference to them in this story.__


	95. Chapters 198-200

__Several of you asked about Jimmy Snacks. House offers an explanation in the last chapter of this story, but the original Jimmy Snacks weren't as PG rated. I didn't invent them. They were the creation of a deranged fanfic writer named Andrew for a fanfic called Jimmy Doo and the Chairman of the Board written by Jellybean for the Fox/House boards. (And, by the way, Jellybean, or JB, was the inspiration for Gretchen and Tommy's teacher.)__

__So, here are the last three chapters of this story. I'll begin posting the sequel, The Gift of Love, next Monday. __

__Thanks for reading or rereading this story. I love all of my readers.__

**Chapter 198. ISLAND IN THE SUN**

The next morning the ship docked at Princess Cay, the island owned

by the cruise line. An entire day of activities was planned centered

on the private beach on the island. The beach had snowy white sand

encircled by palms. The water was warm and crystal clear. If you had

a mind to, you could go snorkeling or parasailing. There'd be plenty

of beach volleyball and other games, and of course swimming.

But the main goal of the Three Amigos and Kevin and Keith was to

build a sandcastle. Not just a castle, they were determined to build

an entire fortress. Both Marty and Billy enthusiastically offered to

help.

When he was young, House loved the beach. But after the damage to his

leg he avoided it. For one thing, he hated to have anyone see the

ugly scar. He thought about wearing his customary jeans, rolled up to

his calves perhaps, but instead he settled for a fashionable knee-

length pair of shorts. That of course was the least of it. He was

quite used to walking on solid surfaces with the aid of his cane.

He'd been doing it for years now. But navigating across a sandy beach

was at least problematic and possibly quite painful.

He made his way gingerly to a lounge chair with a good view of his

daughter, her cousins and her friends, and made himself comfortable.

He got out his game cube and newest iPod, and settled in for the

day. The bonus was the babes in their bikinis were sunbathing nearby.

Four of the five were doctors. They knew the dangers of too much sun,

especially the tropical sun, to their New Jersey winter, sun-deprived

skin. So they'd liberally applied the highest SPF sunblock possible.

He'd enjoyed the show as they helped each other apply it, and he

wouldn't have minded helping, but they didn't ask. Maybe a day at the

beach wasn't such a bad thing after all.

He barely noticed Wilson stretch out on the lounge chair next to his,

just enough to say, "I'll take those five over any other chicks on

this beach."

"Just stick to the one that's yours," Wilson said.

"I bet you were watching them all slather that sunscreen on, too. Not just your wife." But before Wilson could respond they saw two men ogling the women. "Put those eyeballs back in your heads!" House demanded. "What do you think you're looking at? Only Wilson and I can look at them like that. And those two helping

the kids with their sandcastle."

"Oh, yeah? It's a free country!" one of the men said.

"If you don't walk away now, you'll see just how free it is," House

warned. "I've got a cane and I know how to do things with it you

really won't like."

The men were incredulous. Who did this old guy think he was? They

looked at his friend.

"Better listen to him. I've know him a long time and he

isn't kidding."

The two men scampered off.

"We need some towers." Gretchen helped Kevin dig a moat surrounding the base of their construction.

"What are you doing?" Em asked Tommy as he concentrated on shaping

the top of a wall.

"Making crenellations" he explained. He liked the sound of that word.

"Now that you have a moat, you'll need a drawbridge." Marty was amazed by the imagination and skill of the five kids.

"OK," Tommy said. He'd finished his crenellations for now. "Should it

be up or down?"

"How about half-way?" Emily proposed.

Keith and Billy returned from the water's edge with plastic cups of

wet sand. "Where should we put these?" the boy asked.

"Over here," Tommy called. He needed some for his drawbridge supports.

Like any construction job, they were drawing a crowd of onlookers.

None of these construction workers were about to indulge in catcalls.

They just worked away, their fortress rising and growing with each

passing minute. The ship's photographer was so impressed he took

several pictures.

Meanwhile, after a half hour on their backs, the five women turned

simultaneously to their stomachs, almost as if they'd choreographed

it. Then, after another half hour they took off for a dip in the sea.

When Cameron returned, she put on her cover-up and stretched in a

hammock not far from House, where she promptly fell asleep.

By three-thirty, the construction crew had finished their creation.

Some of the spectators had actually applauded the finished job.

Oblivious to the fact that they were by now covered in sand, the

kids were very proud of their accomplishment. They took a bow.

Marty and Billy suggested they rinse off in the water and they were

happy to do so. They played in the water for a while but eventually

returned to where their parents had gathered. Gretchen sat down

between her parents. She'd collected a bunch of shells and went

through them to pick out the most complete conch. She handed it

to her mother who held it to her ear to 'hear the ocean'.

About five PM the ship's crew set up for a barbecue on the beach.

They grilled fish and meats as well as assorted vegetables and

plantains. At six a steel band began to play and the food was served.

After everyone feasted, it was time for the limbo contest. All of the

children were game, and so were most of the adults. But House wasn't

about to try. When Cameron didn't get up to join the line of people

he said, "Go ahead. I bet you're great at this."

"I used to be..." she began.

"Go on, I wanna watch you," he said with a leer.

"OK," she reluctantly agreed.

He probably didn't realize how his eyes shone as he watched his

friends and especially his wife and daughter bend their backs as they

tried to make it under the limbo stick. The one who surprised him the

most was Cuddy. She was unbelievably good and ended up winning the

contest.

Now House knew the reason for the expression 'Life's a beach' and

why 'a day at the beach' was supposed to be a good thing. This one

certainly was.

**Chapter 199. WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S, NEW YEAR'S EVE?**

At ten in the morning on December 31 the ship docked at the harbor

in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. All of the women

had been looking forward to several hours of shopping. As they went

through the breakfast buffet line, the ladies chattered about what

they were each going to look for.

"Mom, do we have to go?" You guessed it. House beat the other kids

to ask that.

"Someone's got to carry the packages," Cameron told him.

"But not the cripple!" he retorted.

"They're supposed to have a great selection of cigars and liquor,"

Cuddy said. That got the other men's attention, but House still

wasn't convinced.

"What are we going to do?" Tommy asked. The adults looked at each

other guiltily, not sure what to tell the children.

"You can stay aboard, or you can come shopping. Maybe we'll do some

sightseeing," his father offered.

But just at that moment the staff who organized the activities for

children and teens aboard the ship came by.

"Do you kids want to spend the day with us?" Brad, a very athletic

college student, asked. The five kids had attained some sort of

celebrity status after their castle-building on the beach.

Gretchen, Tommy, Emily, Kevin and Keith looked at each other, then

one-by-one, they shrugged and said 'OK'.

In the end, Cameron decided to stay on board with House. They'd never

taken advantage of the couple's massage that was part of their

wedding package and she decided today would be the day.

Before long they lay stretched out on their stomachs on side-by-side

massage tables just a few feet apart, a thin white sheet covering

their nude bodies. The two masseuses, in crisp white uniforms, began

to massage their hands, giving attention to each and every finger,

palm and wrist. As they moved up each arm to the shoulder, smoothing

the skin with massage oils and stretching each muscle, the tension

in House and Cameron's bodies began to melt away.

Next, their backs were pounded and kneaded with application of still

more of the fragrant oils all the way from shoulders to buttocks.

House didn't know which he appreciated more, having his body massaged

or watching someone massage his wife.

As the masseuses massaged the backs of their legs, House and Cameron

looked over at each other and smiled. Calves and ankles were next

and then it was time for them to roll over.

Her masseuse knew that Cameron was pregnant and his that House had

chronic pain in his right thigh, so they took those facts into

account as they again made their way from top to toe. Face, neck,

chest, followed by stomach, hips and thighs, their skilled hands

eased every knotted muscle and aching joint.

The newlyweds thought they'd been relaxed before, but by the time

they were sent to the shower to rinse off the oils, they were both

quite mellow, and even more turned on than ever.

They sponged each other off, focusing especially on the most

sensitive spots. Then they dressed quickly and headed back to their

room for a couple of hours of passionate, intense and very satisfying

lovemaking.

New Year's Eve at this resort on the sea was a party waiting to

happen. Every restaurant, every public space seemed to be instantly

decorated for the holiday, including massive New Year's-inspired ice

sculptures. The champagne flowed from dinnertime onward.

Marty had been tempted several times during the cruise by the free

access to alcoholic beverages, but, like Nancy and Cameron, he stuck

to drinking soft drinks, iced tea, and non-alcoholic coolers instead.

He saw that Nancy and his brother both noticed and approved, and he

was very proud of his own strength of will. His life was turning

around and he wasn't going to jeopardize that.

The children had all insisted on staying up until midnight. Efforts

to get them to nap during the day were futile. Even the youngest,

Keith, just scoffed and claimed he wasn't a baby.

By eight, the orchestra in the restaurant where they'd eaten dinner

began to play dance music.

The kids danced the latest line dance with Bonnie, Billy, Marty and

Nancy. Wilson and Cuddy did a mean Cha-Cha. House was still so

relaxed that even he danced a few slow numbers with his wife, but he

didn't want to push it. The fact that he even tried pleased Cameron

immensely.

By ten thirty Kevin and Keith were getting sleepy, but they were both

determined not to give in.

"Honey, you can close your eyes for a while" Keith's mother told him.

"We promise to wake you at eleven thirty or so. You'll see the

fireworks." But he shook his head. He didn't want to miss a minute.

The Three Amigos began to fade forty-five minutes later, but wouldn't

give into sleep either.

At eleven thirty, everyone began to move out on the various decks in

anticipation of the fireworks show over the water. And they weren't

disappointed. The show was spectacular. Twenty minutes of non-stop

bursts of color and sound. Shooting stars, rockets, all the pyro-

technics available.

House stood with an arm around each of his girls, watching the show

but also the look of wonder in their eyes. The fireworks ended at

exactly midnight.

Cameron turned to him. "Happy New Year, Greg. This is going

to be the best year ever!"

"Happy New Year, Allie," he replied and then kissed her passionately.

Then he looked down at his daughter. "Happy New Year, Gretchen." There was a catch in his voice. He wondered where that came from.

"Happy New Year, Dad." She beamed up at him. "Happy New Year,

Mom."

Her mother smiled back at her. "Happy New Year, Sweetheart."

**Chapter 200. THE REST IS STILL UNWRITTEN**

Everyone slept in the next morning. It was New Year's Day and they

had nowhere to go, not much to do. But House suddenly sat up with a

start. "The Bowl Games!" he said.

"Aren't they in the afternoon?" Cameron asked sleepily. "You've got

plenty of time. C'mon back down here."

"I need to get a good seat on deck."

"That screen is so large and so bright, every seat will be good."

Although she knew you didn't argue with Gregory House when he'd made

up his mind, she had to try. "Just a half hour or so," she coaxed,

her fingers beginning to caress him gently, then more aggressively.

"Didn't you get enough fireworks last night?" he asked. They'd

followed up the sparklers in the sky with some explosions of their

own back in the room. "You've become insatiable."

"I can't help it. I just love showing you how much you mean to me.

It's one of the ways I can do that," she purred.

House had always expected that when Cameron 'grew up' and became the

strong and confident woman she was now (and he'd had no doubt she

would) her feelings for him would disappear. It continued to amaze

him how wrong he'd been. "I guess I was wrong about you."

She wasn't sure what he meant but guessed. "You were wrong to think I wanted to

fix you," she said. "I wanted to take away some of your pain, bring

a little happiness into your life, maybe even mend your damaged heart

but I never wanted to 'fix' you and change you into someone you're

not."

He kissed her sweetly and in a voice husky with emotions he'd never

express, he said "I guess we have some time," and followed up by showing

her how much she'd come to mean to him.

Eventually food called to them and they ventured forth to brunch,

where they found the members of their party filling up on stuffed

French toast and Belgian waffles, western omelets and eggs

Benedict. Cameron took an omelet from the buffet table and House

filled a plate with all of the above plus breakfast potatoes and a

side of bacon.

"I never understood where you put it all," Wilson said as they sat

down with everyone else. "So, we're watching the games, right?" he

asked.

"Are my eyes blue?" came the response.

"They'll be starting soon." Marty looked at his watch.

House scarfed down all of his food and quickly drank a cup of coffee.

"So what are we waiting for?" He got up and led the way

to the deck.

The men secured deck chairs near each other. The women then surprised

them by sitting down next to them, or in Cameron's case, on the same

lounge chair as House.

In response to House's raised eyebrows she said, "Do you see a sign

that says 'Men Only'?"

As they watched, waiters passed among the lounge chairs offering

beer and soft drinks, hard pretzels and Jimmy snacks.

"I know there had to be a reason you wouldn't tell Tommy about the

connection between Jimmy snacks and his father, but they do taste

remarkably like his pancakes," Cameron remarked after a while.

"Yup," House said. "Now shush, I'm watching the game."

"C'mon, House. I'm not a child. You can tell me."

Looking at her face he couldn't refuse her. He glanced over to see

whether Wilson or Cuddy were listening, but they were both intent

on the game.

"OK. When Wilson was married to his second wife, he had an affair

with a nurse who supplemented her income by working at a bakery.

Now what he didn't know was that she was cheating on him with one of

the bakers. Wilson made the mistake of feeding her some of his

pancakes, and she liked them so much, she had the baker duplicate

the recipe in the form of a cookie. Then they went into business

together and made a gazillion dollars selling Jimmy snacks, and

Wilson didn't get a penny," House said. "Now here's the kicker.

Someone gave wifey number two some of them and she called Wilson

on the fact that they tasted like his pancakes. That was the end of

his second marriage."

"Ooooh!" Cameron exclaimed. She looked rather embarrassed that she'd

even asked. She studiously went back to watching the game.

A little while later, during a commercial break, House looked around

for Gretchen. The five kids had found a spot earlier to just sit and

talk. But now, instead of just the five there were about a dozen

kids. What were they doing? His curiosity was piqued. This wasn't

some activity organized by the college jock. In fact, none of the

ship's crew were anywhere near them.

"Allie, what are the kids up to?" he asked.

Cameron hadn't noticed but now that House had pointed it out, she

was curious too. "I don't know."

Just then, the children dispersed. Each of them headed towards his or

her parents, or so she assumed. As Gretchen came closer they saw that

she had something in her hands.

"We made you kaleidoscopes." she handed one to House and one

to Cameron. Tommy was giving his parents some also.

"Who's idea was this?" Cuddy asked.

"Well, Gretchen suggested we needed to make you all something to

remember the cruise," Tommy said.

"And Emily suggested kaleidoscopes," Gretchen added.

"And Tommy thought we could use the shells and pebbles we picked up

on the beach," Emily said.

"We made some for you too." Tommy gave one each to his uncle

and Nancy.

"Oh, Tommy, how sweet!" Nancy exclaimed.

Their job done, the kids decided it was time to jump into the pool.

"I'm still amazed at what a cool kid our daughter is." House watched Gretchen swim with her friends and cousins. "Why is she so much more outgoing than you or I?"

"Because unlike you and I, she has both of her parents unconditional

love. She knows that, whatever happens, we'll be there for her. It

gives her the confidence and security to be the person she is,"

Cameron tried to explain. "And to love us just as unconditionally."

"She does, doesn't she?" he said. And that meant that he had

something he'd never had before, something that was missing from his

life, unconditional love.


End file.
